Counting Down The Days
by LittletonPace
Summary: Dean has one year left to live and Sam isn't going to give up on his brother. But then Andie Morgan comes into their lives...Please Read and Review :D *final chapter up*
1. Chapter 1: Understatement

**CHAPTER ONE**

**Day 1**

'Understatement'

Sam and Dean Winchester walked cautiously into the ancient barn before them. Old and abandoned, they proceeded with caution. They were there to vanquish a demon, after all. Dean took the lead, as normal, his gun directed before him. With only the moonlight coming through the splintered roof to guide him, Dean headed deeper into the warehouse.

"What is it about demons and dark, empty places?" Dean whispered over his shoulder to his brother, trying to lighten the mood. But the look on Sam's face told him he was in no mood to make light of the situation.

Fair enough, Dean supposed. It had only been the day before that Dean had made a deal with the Crossroads Demon to save his brother's life. And, while killing the Yellow Eyed Demon, the brothers had inadvertently released hundreds of other demons from hell. Now, thanks to the deal, Dean only had one year to live. Or, in Sam's mind, one year to figure out how to save his brother. And this was on top of finding and destroying all the demons that had escaped.

That was half the reason they were at this abandoned bar. The other half being that Sam had had a vision of a young woman being attacked by a particularly gross looking demon. White skinned, bald and wearing a long flowing black cape. The sound of the woman's scream haunted Sam; high-pitched and terrified. He was determined to save her life.

Dean didn't get the brain splitting visions that his little brother did. And this one had been particularly nasty because Sam couldn't stop thinking about it. Dean continued to lead the way through the barn, which was surprisingly large to what it looked like from the outside. He had a good feeling about tonight. The barn was suddenly plunged into darkness. Both Sam and Dean stopped in their tracks, awaiting the sound of a scream or a crash, any of the tell tale noises that preceded a demon attack. But nothing came. Dean looked above and saw that the moon had been momentarily shrouded in a deep, dark purple storm cloud. They'd been gathering on the way over causing Dean to pray that it would fall and clean his car so he didn't have to. As much as he adored his Impala, cleaning it was a bitch. But then the clouds cleared and the moon shone once more. And as if on cue, a blood curdling scream rang through the ragged barn.

Sam turned behind him, recognizing the scream, gun ready with his eyes darting around wildly trying to pinpoint the demon's location. Dean was doing the same but in the other direction. He walked purposely forwards and was almost knocked off his feet as a woman came hurtling past him from his left. Behind her flew the demon, his tattered black cape flailing at his heels as he landed in front of the woman; right between her and the way out of the barn.

Sam and Dean, side by side, advanced on the demon, who had not apparently realized their presence in the barn.

"Hey!" Dean yelled at the demon, gun poised and aimed directly at the demon's forehead.

The creature's bald, scaly head snapped up at them looking somewhat confused. The terrified woman also looked around at the brothers, and equally shocked expression on her face. The demon screeched loudly, drew its arms tightly into its chest. The woman pushed one of her hands in front of her body, Dean assumed as a self-protecting measure, and the demon flung itself backwards through the wall of the barn, disappearing into the night.

Sam and Dean shielded themselves from the falling splinters that were raining down upon them and when they looked up, the demon was gone. The woman was staring at the large gap that exposed the empty, rolling fields that were behind the barn. Dean and Sam put away there weapons as Dean approached the young woman. He'd seen it all before. Young, hot chick gets attacked by a demon. She's scared, confused and usually alone. She needs to be comforted; enter Dean Winchester. This chick resembled the bulk of women Dean rescued. Young, pretty and scared as hell.

"Hey." He spoke as he neared her. "It's okay now."

The woman didn't turn around to see him.

"What did you do?" she mumbled under her breath.

"We got rid of that thing." Dean told her calmly, realizing she was not an American. "You're lucky to be alive." Dean reached out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but the young woman turned around before he actually touched her.

"What the hell did you do?!" She screamed at Dean, causing him to stumble back slightly.

Sam was taken aback just like his brother. "Take it easy." He said defensively as he went to his brother's side.

"Take it easy?" She asked. "Take it easy?! Do you have _any_ idea of what you just did?"

"Saved your life!" Dean found himself yelling back. He was _not_ accustomed to this reaction at all. And he was even more put off when this woman started to laugh.

"Oh, save my life? Well, thank you so much." She replied with heavy sarcasm. "You just let the demon I have been tracking for months fly out of here!"

Dean and Sam both looked confused. _She knows about demons?, _was Dean's first thought. That was also something new.

"You knew it was a demon?" Sam asked the woman, as if reading Dean's mind.

The woman gave them a withering look. "Its name is Nectron. It a demon that's consumed by vanity; that's why its victim's are always good-looking. It doesn't kill; it paralyzes and takes the victim with it so it can feed whenever it needs to. It feeds of the souls of the body to sustain life and gain power." She recited as though reading from a textbook. She was interrupted in her rant by a loud crack of thunder from above. Seconds later heavy rain began to fall through the cracks in the weathered barn roof. The annoyed woman cursed out loud and headed through the demonically made hole in the barn out into the night rain.

Sam and Dean looked at each other. "What the hell is going on?" Sam asked.

"I've got no idea." Dean admitted. "Maybe she's like us, like Jo; another fighter." He suggested.

"Then why was she running from a demon? And why did was she in my vision?" Sam reminded him.

Dean didn't get a chance to answer because the frustrated, and now dripping wet, young woman came back into the barn. "And now I can't track it because of the rain!"

"The rain?" Sam asked, bemused.

The woman rolled her eyes. "It was created in a hellish storm about three thousand years ago." She informed the brothers in condescending voice. "It appears one month every two years to gather more souls to add to its collection to tide it over. Because it was created in a storm, it can, in turn, create storms _and_ disappear in them."

"Huh...I did not know that." Dean said with a slight grin. He wasn't sure why, but at that point in time he found this woman extremely attractive. She was slim, but not too toned, medium height with dark brown hair. At that moment she wore a terribly sour expression, but Dean had the feeling she had a gorgeous smile.

"Pray tell, what _do_ you know?" She asked, tightly crossing her arms over her chest.

Even her attitude was turning him on. Dean shook his head slightly. "My brother has visions." He told her.

The woman looked to Sam. "Visions?"

Sam nodded. She wasn't having the same effect on him as Dean. Sam managed to keep his head, and hormones, in check. "I saw that thing killing you. We're here to...well, save you."

"Oh, save me?" she laughed again. "Is that what you call what that was? You planned on saving me with those?" she waved a hand at the guns both brothers were holding. "Nectron isn't corporeal, bullets wouldn't kill it; they'd go straight through it's body."

"Didn't know that either." Dean said out of the corner of his mouth to his brother.

"Well, that's just great, isn't it?" The woman stalked forwards and pushed between the two brothers, heading for the door. "You don't know what the hell it is and you come in all guns-at-the-ready anyway."

Dean followed her out into the rain, hearing Sam follow behind him, because no matter what she looked like, she was still being extremely rude. "Hey, we came hear to save you, the least you could do is show some kind of thanks for it."

"Yeah, I'll get right on that." The woman retorted as she head over to the side of the barn where a dark blue motorbike was leaning against the outer wall. Dean had been so pre-occupied with the demon he hadn't even noticed it when they'd arrived. "Do you have any idea how much you've set me back?" She told them bitterly as she slid onto her bike.

"How long have you been after that thing?" Sam asked, genuinely interested.

"Six months." She told him. "And now because of you two pretty boys, I have no idea where I'm going to find it."

"Ok, sorry." Sam told her. "We'll help you find it again."

"What?!" Both the woman and Dean yelled in unison.

She slid off her bike and advanced on the brothers. "I don't want or need your help. And I think you proved tonight that you _can't_ help, not with this demon. If gun's is all you've got, you should be running in the other direction of this thing."

"Hey, we aren't the ones who almost got killed by it." Dean snapped at her, happy that his initial attraction to this woman was dwindling because of her attitude. At least, he made himself think that it was dwindling.

"I didn't almost get killed. That was my plan." She informed Dean with a scowl on her face. "There are other victim's and I was never going to help them by killing it."

"Didn't work so well, did it? That plan of yours?" Dean replied angrily. That seemed to really piss her off. Her jaw clenched as she directed her head towards Dean's beloved Chevrolet Impala. She through her hand towards the window and it shattered completely out of its frame.

Sam was unable to hide the yelp that emitted from his mouth in shock of what he'd seen. _She was telekinetic as well? _He thought to himself.

Dean was also completely distressed, mainly because his adored vehicle had just been attacked. His jaw dropped open as the shards of glass fell to the ground.

The woman turned on her heel, got on her bike, started it up and sped out of the dirt driveway so fast she was almost a blur.

Dean groaned, looking over the damage to his car. His gorgeous Impala was broken; it actually caused him physical pain. Dean looked over at Sam, hoping to see the same worry about his car on his brothers' face. But instead, he saw Sam staring in the direction the bitter woman had driven off towards. He turned to his older brother.

"Who the hell was that?"


	2. Chapter 2: Chance

**CHAPTER TWO**

**Day 2**

'Chance'

When Sam awoke in his hotel bed, Dean was nowhere to be found. Sam sat up and realized he could only see out of one eye. Slightly panicked, he starting grabbing at his face. Then he found the post-it that Dean had so lovingly stuck to his forehead. The note read:

_Fixing my baby. Be back soon._

Sam crumpled up the note and tossed it in the waste basket. Dean was very involved in that car and would be watching the mechanic like a hawk to make sure he treated her properly. That could mean he'd be gone for hours. Sam showered, ate some stale toast and opened up his laptop. Life on the run was definitely not as glamorous as it was on TV. But as long as they kept moving they'd be safe.

Sam started tapping away at his laptop, writing down all the new information they had about the demon. As he added _travels in rain_ to the list, Sam realized all the information had come from that so-called victim they'd 'saved' the night before. Leaning back in his chair, Sam wondered how much more she knew about this demon; Nectron. When al the demons had escaped from hell, there had been no way of identifying them. And the only reason they knew about Nectron was because of Sam's vision. The smart thing to do would be to pick her brain about what else she may know about Nectron; and any other demons for that matter. And her telekinesis was definitely a cool aspect that Sam hadn't seen coming. He'd done it once before himself, but it had taken all of his concentration to control. This girl seemed to be able to do it with a flick of the hand; literally. Sam was curious about that, too.

Two hours later, Dean had returned with a new window on his Impala and $200 less in his wallet. Being on the run meant that money was scarce anyway and that crazy woman had caused him to be in serious monetary issues. He and Sam had paid for their hotel room up until lunchtime the next day and the gas tank was full, but as for luxuries like food and toothpaste? They seemed to have to take a backseat.

While Sam continued researching the demon on the internet, Dean watched a cartoon show on the static-heavy TV set at the end of his bed.

"I'm not finding any of the information that girl told us about Nectron." Sam told Dean, glancing up from his computer. "It's not on any demonic sites; not even as a reference."

"Maybe she made it up." Dean laughed at the cartoon show.

"Why would she do that?" Sam asked wearily. He didn't like Dean's nonchalant attitude to what was happening in their lives right now. Technically, he was dying. And this was how he was spending his last year of life? Watching old cartoons in a dingy hotel in the middle of nowhere? "Hey!" Sam chucked the pen he was holding at his brother. "Would you take this seriously?"

"Take it easy, Sammy." Dean said, chucking the pen right back.

"I feel like I'm the only one doing anything here." Sam told him. "We got a demon to find and you're watching TV?"

"I'm taking a break." Dean protested.

"From what? Fixing your car?" Sam retorted angrily.

"Fine!" Dean sighed loudly, making a show of getting up off the bed. "I'll help!" He walked over and looked over Sam's shoulder. "What are you thinking?"

"That chick said that the demon goes after attractive people, right?" Sam reminded him.

"Yeah. What? You thinking you'll use me as bait?" Dean realized. "Cause I'm not into that."

Ignoring his brother's self-involved comment, Sam continued. "We know his type. So we know what to look for."

"Okay." Dean nodded slowly. "So?"

"So..." Sam turned in his seat. "Wanna dance?"

**xxx**

_The Spot_ was the only club in town and on this night it was packed with pretty people. If Dean had been this Nectron fella, he'd certainly have picked up his next victim in this place. The music was pulsating in Dean's ears as he made his way through the crowd. He and Sam had split up to gain better vantage points of the club so Dean was heading towards the bar. He passed many a woman he, on any other night, would have stopped and chatted to. But with Sam so hell-bent on getting this particular demon, he pushed aside his hormonal instincts, simply smiled, and kept on walked. That was until he saw a familiar face sitting at the bar.

Dean walked over to her and sat in the seat beside her. "You owe me two hundred dollars."

The woman turned, the same woman who'd smashed in the Impala's window. "Excuse me?" She asked, turning. Then she realized she knew she was talking to.

"You smashed my window. It cost two hundred bucks to fix." Dean told her. "Don't worry, I can take a cheque." He ordered a beer, noticing that it was the same beer that this woman was drinking.

The woman smiled. "Ok, good luck with that." She took a swig of her beer.

Dean smiled to himself and took a sip of his own drink. Then he glanced over at the woman. "What's your name, anyway?"

The woman looked over at Dean. "Andie." She answered.

"I'm Dean." He told her, taking another sip of beer. "You're not from around here, are you?"

Andie glanced over at him. "Just because I don't have an American accent you assume I'm not from here?" she seemed offended.

Dean did a very lame, accidental, double take. "Well, I just-"

"You're right; I'm not." The offended look left her face making Dean realize that she had been kidding. "I'm from Australia."

"Really?" Dean was surprised. "What the hell are you doing here?" Her accent was very pronounced so Dean assumed she hadn't been in the country for that long.

"This and that." She said to her beer bottle before taking another drink.

"How long you been here?" Dean asked, genuinely curious. He had a thing for mysterious women.

"Almost a year." She told him. Then she turned in her seat so she was facing him. "Why are you talking to me?" she asked.

Dean was put off a little. "Sorry?"

"I figure you're either hitting on me or you want more information on the demon." She said with a smirk.

Dean couldn't help but return the smile. "Actually, it's neither." He told her. "My being here has nothing to do with you."

"Oh really?" She sounded interested now. "So you just happen to be at the same club I am?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Although I figure we're here for the same reason."

Andie was silent for a few moments. Then she understood what he was talking about. She almost rolled her eyes. "You're following the demon." She stated.

Dean raised his beer bottle to her. "Well, you're not just an incredibly pretty face." He smiled and raised the beer to his lips. Andie snatched it out of his hand and slammed it back down on the bar. But with the music of the club, no one even acknowledged the noise. "What the hell?!" Dean yelled.

Andie leaned in closer to Dean. "You might think you're helping but believe me, you're not." She said seriously.

"You're racing me, sweetheart, and we're driving the same car." Dean told her. "My brother and I; we go after demons, too."

"Not this time. Not this demon." Andie said with finality in her voice.

"Sammy had a vision of that thing killing. And we've come to realize that that is a not-so-good thing." Dean may have thought she was hot, but man she was frustrating. "I don't see the bad side of us working together."

"I can defend myself." Andie said with a shrug. "You can't."

"Yeah, what is that thing?" Dean asked, referring to Andie's telekinesis. "Where would I pick up something like that?"

"Be born with it." She said sharply, snatching Dean's beer and downing the last of it in a matter of seconds.

"Hey!" Dean tried to stop her but his drink was already long gone.

Andie slammed the empty bottle down on the table. "Listen, Dean, is it? You go after this thing and it will kill you." Dean smiled in response. Andie had expected her words to have a little more impact then that. "What?"

"You think I'm hot." He said with a flirty smile.

Andie put her hands on her hips and furrowed her brow. "What?"

"You're the one who said that Nectron is a vanity demon; goes after hot people." Dean reminded her, keeping the grin on his face. "You said that thing would kill me, ergo, you think I'm pretty." Dean hoped she'd soften a little, but on the contrary her stance became sturdier.

"Look at my face." She told Dean in a less than impressed voice. "Does it look like I think you're pretty?" She then took her own bottle of beer and finished if off. Then she slung her deep, dark red leather jacket off the back of her seat and turned to leave.

Dean grabbed her wrist. "Hey, wait a sec." Andie turned around. "My brother and I are going after this demon, no matter what you say."

Andie sighed. "Then I guess we'll be seeing each other again…when I save your ass." She said frustratedly, turning on her heel and heading towards the exit of the bar.

Dean, being Dean, watched her go with deep interest. _Now that, _he thought, _is one hot woman_. Ordering another beer, Dean spun in his chair and set about looking around the bar for anyone particularly attractive. And he didn't have to look far.

Up on the second level of the bar, Sam was doing the same thing. He'd spotted Dean talking to the woman from the night before and had tried to make it down to talk to her as well, maybe find out some more information on the demon, but hadn't been able to get through the crowd. Once he saw that she'd gone, Sam headed back up to the second level of the club. It was less crowded up there but there was certainly no lack of attractive women. Out of the corner of his eye, Sam spotted a particularly gorgeous blonde woman head out the back exit of the top level with a pack of cigarettes in her hand. Seeing her go out alone tweaked something in Sam that made him follow her. He weaved through the sea of people ahead of him; apologizing to those he bumped into, and reached the exit.

Proceeding with caution, Sam stepped out onto the roof of the club. He noticed dark clouds in the night sky and the faint feeling of rain on the wind. He could see the young blonde woman in red lighting up a smoke nearby. She turned when she heard the door open. When she saw Sam, she smiled. Then suddenly her face turned to horror and she screamed. Sam didn't even have time to turn around before two disgusting, slimy, pale arms grasped him around the middle and pulled him off the roof.

About an hour later the club closed and Dean was waiting by his Impala for his brother. They'd agreed to meet at the car ten minutes before, but Dean wasn't worried. There had been a steady crowd of people spilling out of the club for about ten minutes. The car was parked down the street of the club so Dean got a good view of all the people leaving. Including someone who was becoming a regular occurrence in Dean's mind; Andie was walking towards him.

"Are you stalking me?" she asked angrily as she approached him.

"Please, honey, you wish." Dean leant back against the hood of his car and tried to look laid-back. "I'm waiting for my brother. Anyway, I thought you left."

"I just came back in the entrance so you'd _think_ I'd gone." She smirked.

"Crafty." Dean said with a nod of approval. He was about to say something else when he noticed the bouncer shutting the doors to the club. There was also a group of three girls trying to persuade him to keep it open.

Andie turned to see what Dean was looking at. The three women seemed very concerned and wanted to get back into the club. Andie looked to Dean and then they both headed over to the club. They caught the end of the conversation.

"No, you have to let us back in." One woman in a green dress was saying.

"Mandie's still in there; we can't leave without her." A woman in a short black skirt and pink halter top said.

"Ladies, I'm always the last one out." The burly bouncer said to the women. "Trust me, you're friend ain't here."

"My brother's in there, too." Dean spoke up as he and Andie arrived.

"Well, maybe there together." The bouncer said frustratedly. "All I know is that this club is empty and you all better clear outta here."

The three women turned and walked away slowly, obviously not wanting to leave without their fourth friend. The bouncer put a lock on the bar door and headed away. Andie went up to the women.

"Hey." She called, catching up to them. "Your friend, where was the last time you saw her?"

The women in green shrugged. "Last I remember she said she was going to the roof to take a smoke." Then she turned back to her other friends and they all piled into a red convertible. Andie turned to Dean who looked slightly fearful. "What?" Andie asked.

"Sam was on the second level." He realized.

Minutes later, Andie and Dean were creeping around the back of the club. They'd waited until the last bouncer had pulled their car away before they'd made their move. Andie was in the lead as they headed around towards the back of the club.

"Up here." Andie said, reaching a dumpster. Above which was a pull down metal ladder that would take them to the second level roof.

"Why do I get the feeling you've done this before?" Dean asked, following Andie onto the top of the dumpster.

She didn't let him see her smile at that; instead she looked up towards the ladder which was still out of reached. It had a join where it could extend but it appeared to be heavily rusted over.

"I might be able to reach it if I jump." Dean suggested, trying to move Andie out of the way.

She motioned to the ladder with the middle and forefinger of her right hand, beckoning it downwards. There was a loud screeching sound as the ladder came free and lowered right in front of Dean.

He tried not to look impressed. "Or whatever." He shrugged; yanking on the ladder to make sure it was sturdy before ascending up it.

Dean reached the top and slid over the banister onto the roof. He reached down and helped Andie up. They both glanced around the empty space ahead of them.

"Sam?" Dean called. "Sam? You up here?" Andie didn't say anything; she just started walking around the roof. Dean walked forwards after her and noticed how wet the ground was. "It's like rained up here." He said aloud.

"It's didn't rain downstairs." Andie recalled. She walked over to the exit door that led into the club, knowing what had happened even as she walked. By the doorway, she spied what she knew would be there. A puddle of black water.

"What is it?" Dean called from the other side of the roof. When Andie didn't reply he walked over to her. "Hey." She turned around. "What is it?"

Andie sighed. "Nectron."


	3. Chapter 3: Together

**CHAPTER THREE**

**Day 3**

'Together'

Sam awoke from what felt like a three day sleep. He was groggy, sore and sopping wet. He was lying on his side so he tried to stand up. Instead, he smacked his head on something hard above him. He realized he was in a steal cage. There was light rainfall coming through the bars from above him and Sam could see that he was outside. Well, inside some kind of warehouse, actually, but the roof of it was missing so the rain just poured in.

Sam rubbing the side of his arm he'd been lying on. It was sore so he figured he'd been in the one place for awhile. Glancing around, Sam realized he wasn't alone. The woman in the red dress he'd followed out of _The Spot_ was about five feet from him in a cage very similar to his own. She was still unconscious but Sam could see she was still breathing. There was also another cage in the room but it was empty. Sam had to hunch down slightly to keep from banging his head on the bars of the cage as he felt around the sides for a loose piece of metal. He had no luck; the cage was stuck in its place.

Still unsure of how he arrived in this place, Sam tried to remember back to what had happened. He was in the club...the woman in the red dress went onto the roof for a smoke...he followed her onto the balcony...she'd smiled at him...then he'd been yanked off that building. He remembered pale, white arms wrapping around him.

Then, as if on cue, a screech sounded as a white, scaly, caped demon landed into the warehouse from up above. Sam recognized it right away. Nectron. The demon walked towards the cages, appearing not to notice Sam was awake. The creature went over to the woman in the red dress. He reached into the cage and held a pale, scaly claw over her head.

Sam watched as the demon appeared to remove something from her. He couldn't see anything, but the demon's arm glowed such a bright white that Sam had to shield his eyes. Then the demon stood and straightened its cape. Sam noticed the woman looked paler then she had moments before.

Nectron turned to Sam, let out an ear-piercing screech, and then took off into the air again. Sam sunk back into the corner of his cage. He realized he was sitting on something uncomfortable; something in his pocket. He reached underneath him and pulled out his cell phone.

**xxx**

Dean had taken Andie back to his hotel room. Though this was not an uncommon occurrence, the women he usually hooked up with weren't the type that had been berating him all evening. It was almost four am when they arrived in the room and Dean was mad. It had been his idea to split up in that club and now Sam was missing.

"We have time." Andie spoke up as they entered the brother's hotel room.

Dean realized that was the first thing she'd said since they'd driven in his Impala back to the hotel. "What?"

"Look, I know this demon." Andie told him. "And I told you, it doesn't kill. And since it just got Sam, he'll be at the bottom of the heap."

"Sammy's still with a demon." Dean reminded her.

"I know." Andie told him. "I'm just telling you..." She wasn't sure how to finish that sentence.

Dean appreciated her effort. "Look, you gotta tell me everything about this thing." Dean pulled out a chair at the table for her and sat down himself. "Everything."

So Andie sat. And for an hour she told Dean everything she knew about Nectron. She told him everything about its taste in vanity, its lust for younger victims, and how the only way to kill it was to pierce a triangular rune through its forehead.

"The rune is faintly embedded in its skin; it's hard to see unless you're up close." She told him.

Dean had listened as she spoke, but now he had questions. "How do you know all this?" he asked. "Sam was looking up every source we have for Nectron; he found none of the stuff you told us about."

"Then apparently we look in different places." She told him in a voice that said that was all she intended to say on the matter.

"That whole telekinesis thing...are you a witch?" Dean asked curiously.

Andie laughed. "No, no." She shook her head. "I'm telekinetic; it's a power of the mind thing. Well, for some people." She paused, but then decided to continue. "For me it was genetic. I got mine from my mother; she got it from hers, and so on."

"Your mum fight demons, too?" Dean asked, wondering if like himself, her demon-fighting lust had stemmed from her family.

"She used to." Andie looked downcast. "She killed herself when I was nine."

Dean was shocked, mainly at the way Andie had just come out and said that to basically a total stranger. "Oh wow, sorry." He hadn't thought the conversation would go in _that _direction. There was an awkward silence between them. Then Dean thought, _what the hell?_. "My mother's dead, too. Killed by a demon when I was four."

Andie nodded, understanding. "Sucks, huh?" Another minute passed. "Okay!" Andie said loudly, breaking the depressing mood. "So, Sam."

Dean cleared his throat. "Ah, yeah. So how have you tracked this thing before?"

"Follow the storms." Andie said simply. "After awhile I got better at picking what was natural and what was demonic. Then there are the puddles of black water; always helpful."

"Ok, but does this thing have a lair or something?" Dean asked. "I mean, where is it keeping the victims?"

"It's only here for a month. Means it only stays on earth for a month before going underground, it can't travel freely. It uses energy it takes from people to get there and back." Andie informed Dean, not as condescending this time.

"But you said you'd been tracking it for six months?" Dean reminded her. "How can you if it's only been here a month?"

"I knew the signs to look for." Andie said. "My mother was tracking this demon as well; she wrote a few things down. I knew what I was following."

"So what do we do now?" Dean asked. Andie opened her mouth to answer but Dean's cell phone rang at that moment. It was now almost six am. Who on earth was calling him now? Checking the caller ID he saw it read Sammy. "Oh god." Dean answered the phone quickly. "Sam?"

"Dean." Sam answered on the other end of the line.

"What happened? Where are you? Are you okay?" Dean asked quickly.

"Nectron took me of the roof of the club." Sam explained. "I'm fine but there's a girl here; she doesn't look so good."

"Where are you?" Dean asked as Andie came over. Dean let her listen in on the phone call.

"I dunno." Sam admitted. "Some warehouse without a roof. It's raining."

Andie grabbed the phone from Dean's hand. "Sam, its Andie." She said into the receiver.

"Who the hell are you?" Sam asked, not recognizing the name.

"I broke your brother's car." She reminded him. "Listen, can you see the rain?"

"What?" Sam was completely confused.

"The rain, you need to see it." Andie thought for a moment. "Catch some of it in your hand. Tell me what colour it is."

Sam did what she asked. He let some of the trickling rain pool in his cupped palm. He noticed in a definite black tinge to it. "It's black." He told Andie.

"Great, that's great!" She yelped happily, handing the phone back to Dean. She headed for the door. "So great." She said, apparently to herself, as she put her coat on.

"Sammy, stay put. We're coming to get you." Dean told his brother.

"How?" Sam asked.

"I don't know; but I'll figure it out." Dean promised. Then he saw Andie grab the Impala's keys and head out the door. "No!" he yelled to her. "I gotta go, Sammy. Stay put." He hung up the phone and rushed after Andie.


	4. Chapter 4: Rainfall

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**Day 3 Continued**

'Rainfall'

After bickering for what felt like an hour, Dean managed to convince Andie that no one was to drive his car other then himself. Andie's main argument was that he'd made her leave her bike back at _The Spot_ when they'd left so she had earned a drive in the Impala; a notion Dean laughed off immediately.

So now they sat side by side, Andie in the passenger's seat, following what Andie called the Dark Clouds. She knew what cloud was just normal rain and what belonged to Nectron so she led the way; only Dean was the one who was driving.

"Why are you so anal about your car?" Andie asked Dean suddenly.

Dean, who had been happily tapping his fingers on the wheel to the beat of a song on the radio, glanced at her. "Would you let anyone ride your bike?"

"If they asked nicely." Andie lied. No one was allowed on Jeremy.

"You and I both know that's not true." Dean laughed. "You love that bike like I love this baby."

Andie merely rolled her eyes in response and turned her gaze back up to the skies

**xxx**

Sam realized that it was daytime now. He wasn't sure how early but it definitely wasn't as dark as it had been hours before. Although there were still dark clouds hanging overhead making Sam realize that this was more then likely due to Nectron's presence.

Kicking absentmindedly at a bar on the side of his cage, Sam realized the woman in the red dress across from him was stirring. He quickly moved to the edge of his cage and called to her. "Hey."

The woman awoke and groggily leant up into a sitting position. Then she realized she had no idea where she was. "Oh my God." She scampered into the back wall of her cage.

"It's okay." Sam told her calmly from across the room.

"What's going on?" The woman asked in a scared voice. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sam. And, long story short, you were kidnapped by a demon." Sam told her honestly.

The woman didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I...I'm Mandy." She eventually said.

**xxx**

After stopping for a fourth time so Andie could inspect the clouds, Dean was getting annoyed. Thing was, Andie would get annoyed right back at him. If he didn't need her help to find Sam, he may have just driven off and left her there. It was when she got like this that Dean forgot all about his attraction to her.

"Did it go this way or not?" Dean called from the drivers' seat.

Andie was outside looking up at the sky. Anyone driving past would've thought she was a nut, but the fact that they were on a road in the middle of nowhere meant she could be as crazy as she wanted. But Dean's constant interruptions in her concentration were making her job a lot harder. "Would you just shut up for a minute?" She yelled over her shoulder. Natural storm clouds had been forming for the last half hour, mixing with the ones partial to Nectron so Andie had to pay even more attention.

"Look, either you know how to do this or you don't." Dean called. "And right now it's looking like you don't."

Andie snapped her neck around and looked at him. "Hey, I'm doing all of this to save your damn brother! Without me you wouldn't have a clue what to do!"

"Oh yeah?" Now ready to go one on one with her, Dean opened the door to his car.

Andie saw Dean heading out of his Impala so she held her palm up towards the car door, using her power to slam it shut. And keep it shut.

"Hey!" Dean pounded on the window, trying unsuccessfully to open the door. "Let me outta here!"

"In a minute." Andie said quietly, directing her attention back up to the sky. Able to block Dean's background noise out of her head, she managed to get a better look at the clouds above. Realizing that they were probably closer then they though to Sam, Andie turned her attention back to Dean who was pushing against his car door to try and open it. She flicked her hand at it and the door flung open, spilling Dean onto the ground.

Dean scrambled to his feet and tried to look composed. He looked angrily at Andie. "Not funny." He said bitterly.

Andie walked back over to the car with a smile on her face. "I respectfully disagree." She said laughing.


	5. Chapter 5: Sudden

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**Day 3 Continued**

'Sudden'

Andie and Dean only had to drive for another hour before Andie knew they were where they needed to be. She'd also managed in that short amount of time to teach Dean the difference between natural and demonic clouds. Dean pulled the Impala out the front of an ominous looking home, sans roof, which appeared to have been abandoned many years ago. Dean and Andie both exited the Impala and leant against the rickety, wooden fence that surrounded the property. The rain was falling ever so lightly but it was the dark purple clouds above the home that had Dean worried.

"That's not promising." He said, nodding towards the home.

"Depends on what you mean by promising." Andie said, heaving herself up over the fence.

Dean grabbed her upper arm as she landed and pulled her back. "Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?"

"Going to save your brother." Andie said flatly.

"You can't just run in there; you'll be killed." Dean told her.

"Oh, I will not." Andie said, pulling herself out of Dean's grasp. Then she turned and headed for the home.

Dean pushed himself up and over the fence and went after Andie. He stood in front of her blocking her path. "How do you know we're in the right place?"

"Dark demonic clouds, old house with no roof, and black rain." Andie listed. "What, you worried about me?"

"No, but if you go and die then I'll have no way of finding Sam." Dean said irritably.

"Noble." Andie rolled her eyes. "Sam's here; I know it."

"Well, what if you're wrong?" Dean challenged.

Andie closed her eyes; she was getting really tired of his attitude. "Could you just for once-"

She was interrupted in her rant by the sound of a young woman's scream. Both Andie and Dean jerked their heads towards the home. Andie looked at Dean and raised her eyebrows.

"You got lucky." He told her bitterly as the two of them took off towards the scream.

**xxx**

"NO!" Sam screamed at Nectron. The demon had come back and was now literally sucking the life out of Mandy. Her body lay limp at the base of her cage as the demon seemed to relish in drinking her soul. "Leave her alone, you son of a bitch!" Sam hollered. The demon seemed to acknowledge him for the first time since reappearing in the room. It let out its high pitched shriek and head over to Sam's cage. Sam backed up against the edge of his confined space as hard as he could. Nectron raised his hand to Sam and used some form of power to pull him away from the wall towards the front of the cage. Sam seemed to lose all power over his body; he was completely at the mercy of this hideous demon. It drew him to the very edge of the cage so his face was pressing against the bars. Sam could see under its hood and smelt its foul breath as it edged closer to him. Then, all of a sudden, Sam was thrown backwards against his cage. He had control over his body again and looked up at the demon who seemed surprised he'd lost his grip on Sam. The demon turned to look at the door of the home and shrieked. Sam looked over and saw two familiar faces.

"Did you have to throw him so hard?" Dean snapped at Andie as he held his gun pointed at the demon.

"It was either that or let him lose his soul." Andie said defensively. Her eyes fell on the body of the woman in the red dress. She grabbed the back of Dean's jacket and pushed him in her direction. "Help her." As Dean hugged the wall of the home to make his way to Mandy, Andie kept eye contact with the demon, knowing that she was the one that it wanted right now. Advancing on her, Nectron bared both of its hands and stuck them right out in front of its body; reaching for Andie. Knowing that her power would make it take off again, she played along. That was the only way she was going to get close enough to kill it.

Dean found a pair of bolt cutters in the pile of old tools bundled together in the corner of the room and used them to open the Mandy's cage. He checked her pulse.

"Is she alive?" Sam asked from his own cage.

"Barely." Dean answered. "She needs to get to a hospital." He managed to lift Mandy out of her cage and lay her on the floor. Then he went over to Sam and broke him out of his cage. "You okay?" Dean asked, checking over his brother.

"Yeah; fine." Sam answered quickly. His eyes were on the demon that was advancing quickly on Andie.

"Take her to the car." Dean said, nodding at Mandy.

Sam snapped his head back at Dean. "But you-"

"Sam; go!" Dean shouted.

Andie took another step back and realized she had nowhere else to go. She was backed up against the wall now. And for the first time; she felt a ripple of fear run through her body. Her mother had been a much more advanced fighter then she was and she hadn't managed to kill this thing, so what chance did Andie have? In that small lapse in concentration, Andie let her guard down and Nectron grasped her around the throat with its clawed talon. It lifted her up off her feet and back against the wall with ease. Andie hadn't been prepared for its strength and found she was immediately struggling for breath.

Nectron seemed to laugh a somewhat haughty, breathy laugh in Andie's face as it tightened its grip on her. Andie could see the symbol in the middle of its forehead; the portal to this demon's death. But that was proving an impossible task as Andie felt herself begin to lose consciousness.

Suddenly, she felt something in her right palm; something dry and hard. Like a piece of wood. She could barely hang onto it as everything around her began to go dark. Then she heard a loud crack and realized the lock-hold on her throat was loose. Andie blinked a few times and saw Dean standing behind Nectron with a lead pipe in his hand. As Andie watched, Dean whacked the demon again. Gripping the splintered wood in her hand, Andie took her chance and stabbed it forcefully into the symbol on Nectron's forehead. The demon immediately released its grip on her throat and fell to its knees.

Dean grabbed Andie's elbow and pulled her away from the demon. Together they watched as he slowly began to shudder. He began shaking quite violently and this told Dean one thing; run.

"Move, move!" Dean pulled Andie around and yanked her towards the kitchen table. He kicked it over so it was on its side and dragged Andie down beside him as a loud bang erupted in the room.

Seconds later, they were both showered in a torrential black rain that seemed to hit every open space around them. When the rain died down, Dean and Andie peered up over the top of the table. There was a large, black puddle where Nectron had been standing and the entire home was saturated.

"Thank god; no demon guts." Dean muttered. He looked over to Andie who was staring at the remnants of Nectron. He was surprised when her face broke out in a smile and she started laughing. Dean scoffed a little. "It wasn't that funny." He said and Andie laughed even harder. This caused Dean to crack only seconds later.


	6. Chapter 6: Until We Meet Again

**CHAPTER SIX**

**Day 4**

'Until We Meet Again'

The next day, Mandy had been released from the hospital and back to her family. She had no memory of Nectron or Sam and was convinced that she'd just drunkenly collapsed on the roof of _The Spot_. Sam felt that this was a safer option then the truth so they left her with her thoughts and went back to their motel room.

Sam added Nectron to the list he was keeping of what demons he and Dean had sent back to hell since they accidentally released so many. Andie came back to the motel with the brothers as her bike was still there; waiting for her. She was still covered in the wet remnants of Nectron so she took a shower and changed into the only other set of clothes she had; dark jeans and an _ACDC_ t-shirt. Slipping her favourite belt over her hips, Andie exited the bathroom to see Sam and Dean heartily scoffing down what looked like cheeseburgers. And they seemed not to care about table manners. Granted, they were both eating on their beds.

"Well, as pretty as this picture is," Andie said, tossing her wet towel in the laundry basket. "I'm gonna take off."

Sam brushed off his hands and shook his head. "Take off? You just got here."

"I'm aware of that." She smiled at him. "But I gotta keep moving." She slid her jacket on and headed for the door.

"But there's so much about demons I wanna ask you." Sam got to his feet and followed her. "And that power thing of yours? I did that once. Maybe we're connected in some way."

Andie jumped down the couple of steps out the front of the brothers motel room and turned back around to Sam. "I do love your vivid imagination, Sam, but I highly doubt seeing as I was born in Australia." She smiled again as Dean came out on to the porch. "But thanks for the offer."

"Thanks for killing that thing." Sam replied with a laugh, reaching out and giving her a light hug.

Andie was stand-offish at first, but she patted Sam on the back. "Anytime." She told him.

Dean wandered down the steps and stood next to his brother. "What's your last name?" he asked her.

"What?" Andie laughed but she was confused.

"In case we need to look you up." Dean said with a grin.

"Why would you need to look me up?" Andie asked. Dean simply shrugged in response. Andie sighed. "Morgan. Andie Morgan." She said. "Nice to meet you guys." She gave the brothers a little wave and headed towards her beloved bike, Jeremy, who was waiting patiently against the wall of the motel.

Sam headed back inside the motel room while Dean watched Andie push her bike out onto the road. She suddenly turned back to Dean. "Oh, I forgot." She kicked out the stand of her bike and rested it still then headed back towards Dean.

He met her halfway. "What, you want a goodbye kiss?" he asked with a cheeky grin. "That's ok; happens a lot." Expecting either a retort or a slap, Dean waited for Andie's response but was surprised when she smiled flirtatiously and leaned in towards him. Dean couldn't believe his luck; that line never worked! He leant in towards Andie, her lips only inches from his own, when something sprang up between their faces. It took Dean a second to realize it was a wad of cash.

"Two hundred even." Andie said, pulling back from him and smiling. "For the window." She nodded towards the Impala's now fixed passengers' side.

Dean blushed ever so slightly he didn't think Andie even noticed. "Crafty." He said, snatching the cash out of her hand.

"It's what I do." She smiled again. "See you 'round, Dean." She held his gaze and backed away for a few steps before turning and heading back to her bike. She slid her helmet onto her head, secured her bag containing her Nectron-soaked clothes on the back of her bike, clicked over the engine and drove out into the street.

"Yeah." Dean muttered watching Andie speed away. "See you 'round."


	7. Chapter 7: Happenstance

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

**Day 27**

'Happenstance'

Sam was sitting in yet another crummy motel room watching yet another TV evangelist prattle on that his life sucked. It was about three am and Sam couldn't sleep. It didn't help that Dean was snoring in the bed beside him. Dean could sleep anywhere; that was one thing Sam was envious of when it came to his brother.

Getting up off his bed, Sam crept over to his laptop which was sitting on the small kitchen table. He checked his emails for the about fiftieth time that day and saw that his inbox was still empty. He was waiting on a message from a mailing list he'd signed up to; a list that notified all members of the latest news headlines minutes after they occurred. Dean and Sam had been following a particular story for the past week that had led them to the small town of Linus. A woman had gone missing without a trace and the media were calling her the "Vanished Vision" due to the fact that she had been a beauty queen in her younger days.

Penny Smithfield was a woman in her early thirties who had last been seen in her home one week before. The next morning a friend arrived and realized Penny was nowhere to be found. The case was even more interesting due to the fact that people in surrounding towns claimed to see Penny as a "Vision" at night. They all had different stories as to where Penny was and what she was wearing but the one consensus they did have what they appeared to be crying.

The last town she was known to have been seen was here in Linus to Sam was eagerly awaiting any word of any sighting so he and Dean could go and check it out. But seeing as there was no email, Sam just shut his laptop and leant back in his chair. He'd been finding it hard to sleep ever since Dean had told him that he'd given up his own life so Sam would come back to life. Dean was given a year to live; that was twenty-seven days ago. Sam was annoyed because instead of searching for a way to save his brother; they kept getting sidetracked with demons they had to send back to hell.

Yawning, Sam seized the opportunity for sleep and climbed back into bed. He had entered that lovely pre-sleep state when a harsh knocking at the door snapped Dean, and therefore Sam, out of his sleep.

"Whasatt?" Dean yelped tiredly; lifting his head up.

"Someone's at the door." Sam said, begrudgingly getting up off his bed and heading towards the doorway.

"Wait, wait." Dean muttered in a whisper. He, too, got up off his bed whilst retrieving the knife he kept under his pillow. He then nodded to Sam that he could go on.

Sam looked oddly at his brother. "Since when do demons knock?"

"Not demons; junkies." Dean corrected Sam. "These damn one level motels; anyone can walk up and ring the bell." He nodded the knife towards the door, motioning for Sam to open it.

Sam sighed and turned back to the doorway. The persistent knocking rattled once again throughout the room. Sam reached out for the doorknob and pulled it open. At first he wasn't sure who he was looking at. But then the familiar voice rang true.

"Hey Sam; cute PJ's." Andie said from the doorway, bounding something in her arms.

Dean saw Andie and came forwards, setting the knife down on the table as he did. He noticed the small bundle in Andie's arms and realized it was a baby. "You have a baby?"

Andie looked down at the stirring infant. "Yeah, we got a problem."


	8. Chapter 8: Baby Love

_The parts in italics are Andie's recount of what happened earlier that day._

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**Day 27**

'Baby Love'

_Andie parked her bike in its home for the past two days; the parking lot out of the front of Harper's Bed & Breakfast. She wasn't sure where she was going, she just knew that keeping on the move was the best option for her. Walking up the front stairs into the building, she wondered what Maureen would cook that night. The elderly woman liked to lay out dinner for her guests and then leave them to their devices, but seeing as Andie was the only one staying there at the moment she didn't mind making her what she wanted. When Andie had booked in she asked her what her favourite meals were so she'd be surprised nightly. It was because of this, and the fact that she seemed to be a very sweet woman, that Andie often helped her cook. _

_Before Andie even made it onto the porch, something caught her eye on the edge of the forest that surrounded the B&B. It was a woman in a white nightdress. She was staring directly at Andie with a heartbroken look on her face and she was surrounded in a brilliant white light. This told Andie she wasn't just any normal woman. Taking a step back down Andie kept her eyes on the vision; she seemed to move with her. Every step Andie took, the woman would move slightly. Taking a chance, Andie started walking quickly towards her. The faster she walked, the faster the vision moved. _

_The B&B was surrounded by forest along with two other abandoned houses. The Harpers had been abandoned originally until Maureen had decided to turn it into a business. She'd told Andie that last night over lasagna. _

_The woman in white suddenly stopped moving. She was standing near one of the other houses, the one with the faded blue shutters on all the windows. She stood as close as she could without actually touching the property. Andie stopped walking as well. She was about twenty feet from the woman and could see her face more clearly. She was beautiful but she looked so sad that she was causing Andie feel the same. Taking another step, she watched as the woman slowly pointed her arm towards the house; without taking her eyes off Andie. _

_Andie took another step and then another. Now she realized that the woman was fading. And with each step Andie took, she became a little harder to see. When Andie was close enough to touch her; she was gone. Like smoke in the wind. Andie looked up at the house. The woman was staring sadly down at her from one of the second floor rooms. Andie took off up the front stairs and into the abandoned house. Ahead of her was an old staircase. She ran up it taking two stairs at a time but she slowed when she arrived on the second floor. Entering into the room where she knew the woman had been staring down at her, Andie kept her guard up. She knew that this vision wanted her for something and she was pretty good at picking the evil ones from the ones who just wanted help. Andie was certain this woman wanted the latter. _

_But the room was empty. The woman was nowhere to be seen. Andie checked the ceiling as well; she'd been surprised way too many times by demons hiding up high in corners. But there was no one in the room. In fact, there was almost nothing in the room. To the left of the window where the woman had looked down at Andie was a large box. Curious, Andie walked over to it and peered inside. _

"And he was just sitting in there in his car seat." Andie said, finishing up her recount of how exactly she'd come into possession of the baby that was now dozing in her arms.

"A ghost led you to a baby?" Dean asked quizzically.

"Don't act surprised. This is mundane compared to what you guys have seen." Andie said bitterly.

"Did you bring him here on your bike?" Sam inquired.

"No, I ah, borrowed a car." Andie told him, averting his eyes.

"Borrowed?" Dean asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I left a note." Andie said innocently; recalling the very apologetic note she'd left Maureen before clearing out of there in the old woman's station wagon. But at least Maureen wouldn't call the police. At least Andie hoped she wouldn't. "Besides, I left my bike there. I'll take it back; I just couldn't bring a baby here on a bike."

"Yeah, here." Sam realized. "Why are you here? Why did you come to us?"

"Did you not hear the story?" Andie told them frustratedly. She'd been up with this kid all night so she was practically at the end of her rope. "A _ghost_ led me to this kid which means he's not just any baby."

"Yeah, he probably belongs to someone; someone who wants him back." Dean yawned. He was still trying to adjust to four am light and attempting to get his head around what was going on.

"Well I checked local reports to see if any babies were kidnapped or missing and I got nothing." Andie informed them, shifting the baby into her other arm.

"How'd you do that?" Sam asked.

"I have my ways." Andie told him.

"Maybe his mother had him and then dumped him." Dean brought up. "Didn't want the responsibility."

"How old do you think he is?" Sam eyed the sleeping infant.

"About six months I think." Andie said. "He's got a tooth coming in."

"Ok, I'll ask." Dean said. "What do you want us to do about it?"

"I want you to help me find out who he belongs to." Andie said as if it were as obvious as what colour the sky was. "Look, I figure that the ghost woman wants me to protect him so I'm not gonna just hand him off to social services when he might be meant for something else."

"Andie, no offense, but I hate kids." Dean told her.

"Yeah, well, so do I." Andie said. "They're loud and messy and expensive and have wetness coming out of every hole in their bodies." She sighed. "But I have to help this one." She looked up at the Winchesters. "And I need you two to help me."


	9. Chapter 9: You Live You Learn

**CHAPTER NINE**

**Day 27 continued**

'You Live You Learn'

Andie had been sleeping soundly on the couch in the Winchesters hotel room for about three hours when the shrill wail of the baby snapped her out of her incredibly enjoyable dream. The baby, who Andie was reluctant to name, had spent the night sleeping in a drawer. Sam found this a particularly harsh bed for an infant but Andie maintained it was better then letting him sleep upright in his car seat all night. It wasn't as though Andie had actually shut him inside the dresser; she had pulled out one of the drawers, filled it with towels and blankets and set it beside the couch where she was sleeping. It may not have been as comfy as a cradle, but it prevented the little guy from rolling around on the germ-ridden motel floor. Sliding off the couch, Andie peered into the "bed" and saw the little red-faced baby wailing at her. She reached in and picked him up.

"It's ok." She said tiredly. "You're ok."

Two people who were _not_ okay were Sam and Dean. They both stared exhaustedly up at Andie from each of their beds. Sam looked much more annoyed then Dean, who looked like he desperately wished he didn't have ears. After much consideration, the guys had decided to help Andie get the baby home. If there was a ghost involved that meant, for some reason, this baby had supernatural connections. And Dean didn't want to leave Andie out in the cold. But that did not mean he was at all thrilled to be sharing a room with a crying infant.

"What's with him?" Dean asked grumpily, rubbing his eyes.

"I dunno; maybe he's hungry." Andie muttered as the baby continued to wail. "Babies get hungry first thing in the morning, right?" She looked to Dean.

"Do you not know me?" Dean asked quizzically. "Kids, me; not good bedfellows."

Andie rolled her eyes. "Check the book." She said.

"What book?" Sam asked irritably. He'd actually managed to fall asleep and this was not an enjoyable way to wake up.

"It's in my car; in a baby bag along with food and diapers and stuff I picked up on the way here." Andie told him. "Please get it for me?"

Thankful for the chance to give his eardrums a rest; Sam cleared out of the room before Dean could protest. Andie rocked the baby back and forth in her arms but he didn't seem to want to stop crying. He also didn't seem to like Andie. When she tried to comfort him he'd pull his head away from her body. Granted, Andie had zero experience with kids. All she knew was what she'd read in the book she'd bought the day before. And that was very, very little.

"This kid hates me." Andie muttered, mostly to herself for apparently not having been blessed with the 'instinct' some women had with babies.

"That's probably cos you're not holding him right." Dean told her matter-of-factly, getting up off his bed. "Support his head and hold him over your heart."

Andie, willing to take any suggestion, tried moving the baby over to the other side of her body but she couldn't support his head; he kept pulling away.

"Just let me do it." Dean said impatiently, taking the baby out of Andie's arms and holding him the way he'd explained. The baby started to calm down a little; his cry didn't have the shriek in it that it did when Andie held him.

"I thought you hated kids." Andie crossed her arms.

"I do." Dean confirmed. "But I remember when Sam was little; some stuff just gets tattooed in your brain. And who knows, he probably likes me better then you." He patted the baby on the back and smiled at Andie in a smug way. Then the little boy promptly coughed and spit up all over the front of Dean's singlet.

No matter how hard she bit her lip, Andie was unable to hide the smile on her face. "Yeah, he really loves you." She laughed.

Dean looked completely disgusted as the baby started to scream once more. He handed him back to Andie. "He did that on purpose." He told her as he headed for the bathroom, holding his wet singlet away from his body.

**xxx**

Three hours later the baby was still crying. Not as hard as he had been, but hard enough that Dean was pissed, Andie was exhausted and Sam couldn't take it anymore. He'd been quiet for exactly fifteen minutes while Andie had fed him his formula. Then she'd changed him and he'd picked up screaming right where he left off. She was now walking him in circles around the room singing verse after verse of _Old Macdonald Had A Farm_. Dean, at Andie's request, was looking through the baby book for ways to calm him down while Sam was sitting as his laptop, hoping to find a lead in the "Vanished Vision" case.

"Ok, try this." Dean said reading from the baby book. "_Hold your baby close to your chest and swing him rapidly from side to side_."

Andie looked confused, but she firmly held the baby close to her chest and swung him as rapidly as she dared. This only seemed to wind the little boy and he started crying even louder. "Bad idea." Andie spat at Dean.

"Hey, I'm trying." Dean said defensively.

"And I'm not?" Andie countered.

"Guys!" Sam shouted from his laptop. "Did you ever think that you two bickering is what's making him so upset?" For the past three hours Sam had had to listen to Dean and Andie squabble back and forth like new parents. Andie was like the mother who doesn't have the 'mothering' gene and Dean was like the father who believed that the mother just wasn't doing anything right. Add that to the fact that the pair of them was as stubborn as each other and it was enough to make anyone tense. Apparently this included both of the 'parents'.

Dean covered his face in his hands as Andie glared at Sam. "You think this is easy?" she snapped as she walked over to him and held out the baby. "You take him for a-" Andie stopped as she saw Sam's computer screen; and that now too familiar face. "Oh my god."

"What?" Dean asked from behind his hands.

"That's her." Andie pointed at the screen and looked at Sam. "That's the ghost who led me to the baby."


	10. Chapter 10: Family Ties

**CHAPTER TEN**

**Day 27 continued**

'Family Ties'

"Are you sure?" Dean asked. He stood beside Andie as they all looked at Sam's computer screen that showed the sad face of missing woman Penny Smithfield.

"Yes, her ghost led me to this thing." Andie jiggled the whimpering baby in her arms. He was quieter now, but Andie had the feeling that it was because since he'd been crying for so long; he was finally tired out. "You don't just forget a face like that."

"Well, the police report didn't say anything about a kid." Sam told Andie. "Penny wasn't even married. Unless she's keeping a massive secret; this baby isn't hers."

"So...we need to find out more about how Penny disappeared; find out why her ghost is still hanging around." Andie realized.

"That's a good idea." Dean said. "I say we go talk to the friend who found out Penny was missing in the first place; maybe she knows something about the kid."

"Ooh, that's good." Andie agreed. "But someone's gotta stay here with the baby." She paused. "Not it!"

"Not it!" Dean yelled about one second before Sam. He laughed and slapped his little brother on the back. "Too slow, Sammy."

"I can't take care of a baby!" Sam protested as Andie lowered the tiring little boy into his arms.

"Oh, you'll be fine. He'll probably fall asleep soon then all you have to do is make sure he doesn't die." Andie told Sam.

"The two of you couldn't do this; what makes you think I can?" Sam protested, awkwardly holding the baby under his arm.

Dean and Andie looked at each other. "Well…" Dean started slowly. "As you pointed out; our bickering wasn't helping the baby."

"Yeah, and here by yourself you won't have anyone to bicker with." Andie finished. "It's a win-win."

Sam shook his head. "For who?"

Dean shrugged. "Us." He grabbed his coat off the hook by the door and handed Andie hers. "Don't pout; I'll bring you back a cookie."

"Screw you." Sam bit back at him.

"Hey, hey!" Andie yelped, waving her hands. "No cursing in front of the baby."

Dean scoffed. "He's tiny; he's not gonna remember."

"Oh yeah?" Andie countered. "The book said that babies can hear stuff in the womb and at his age they can recognize tone and pitch in the voices around them. That means he knows when we're angry and therefore swearing."

"I'm gonna take that book and I'm gonna beat you over the head with it." Dean retorted.

"For the love of God; just go!" Sam pleaded at the two of them.

**xxx**

It was just hitting midday when Dean and Andie arrived at Melissa Tillerman's home. They'd found her name in the police report and there was only one M. Tillerman in the Linus phone book. Dean and Andie exited the Impala and headed for the modest one-story home. As they walked up the front path; they discussed the motives they were going to use for being there.

"Ok, how about this?" Dean started. "I tell her you're my psychic sister who's been seeing visions of Penny and a baby."

Andie sighed. Not only was that a bad idea; but Dean and Andie didn't look remotely alike. The only thing they had in common was dark hair, but no one would believe for a second that they were related. "What?" She asked tiredly.

"We test her reaction; we get our answer." Dean clapped his hands together once; proud of his idea. "Plus you can show her your telekinesis thing to make her believe us. It's a flawless plan."

"Yeah; until we get a door slammed in our faces and the cops on our asses." Andie shut him down. "People aren't all that inclined to let psychics into their homes, Dean; especially ones who travel door to door."

"Alright then, genius, what's your idea?" Dean asked her expectantly.

"Well...how about we tell her we're grief counselors with the police department." Andie suggested. "They sent us here to talk to her about Penny's disappearance."

"How is that better than mine?" Dean asked childishly.

"Well, one; people trust the police, two; it explains how we got her name and address and three; she should be willing to open up about Penny; people tell shrinks everything." Andie said with a proud grin.

"Ooh, that is better." Dean mumbled.

"Thank you." Andie nodded. The pair of them walked up the steps towards the front door. "But I don't think we should use our real names."

"Yeah, ok." Dean agreed. "Ok, I'll be Mr Sanchez and you be Miss Wong."

Andie looked thoughtful. "Diverse." She said approvingly; hitting the doorbell. "But I think Jack and Jenny Jones might be less inconspicuous."

Dean smiled. "Oh, so we're married?" He asked happily.

Andie sighed; too tired to argue. "Sure." She agreed. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Dean reach for her hand. "Touch me and I'll telekinetically remove a valuable appendage from your body."

Dean quickly retracted his hand and held up his arms in mock defeat. "Worth a shot." He muttered as the front door opened.

Melissa Tillerman was a woman in her early thirties with long, sandy blonde hair and olive skin. She was wearing a white apron over a floral housedress and was wiping her hands on a kitchen towel when she opened her front door. There was a golden cross on a chain hanging from her neck that glimmered in the sun as she eyed Andie and Dean. "May I help you?"

"Hello, ma'am, my name is Jack Jones and this is my wife, Jenny." Dean said with a broad smile.

Andie would have elbowed him if they were alone; _what kind of grief counsellor is that happy?,_ she wanted to snap at him. Instead she bit her tongue and spoke to Melissa. "Mrs. Tillerman?"

"Yes. Well; it's just Miss now; I'm divorced." Melissa told them. She looked at them both suspiciously. "Look, I don't want to buy anything."

"Oh, no, we're not salespeople." Andie assured her quickly. "We're grief counselors with the police. They asked us to come and speak to you."

"All we're selling is an ear to listen and shoulder to lean on." Dean said in a syrupy voice.

Andie let out a fake laugh and grabbed Dean around the arm. "Oh, don't mind my husband." She said to Melissa. "He's just an idiot."

"I don't need any counseling." Melissa said in an uneasy tone.

"Please. Miss Tillerman; we want to help find out what happened to Penny and, ah, _Jack_ and I really think that you'll be able help us." Melissa didn't protest, she seemed to be thinking it over. Andie pressed on. "May we come in, please?"

Melissa sighed and nodded. "Of course." She opened the screen door for them.

Dean smacked Andie lightly on the behind. "After you, sweetheart."

Andie swallowed the urge to hit him. "Thank you." She managed to get out through the anger in her throat. She entered the house after Melissa while Dean followed behind her. The shrill ring of a telephone broke the silence.

"Please; take a seat in the kitchen." Melissa said. "I'll only be a moment." She smiled at them and went into the living room to answer the phone.

Dean was looking up at the walls of the house. It was quite homely; very well-kept. "This is a nice place." He observed.

Andie turned to him and smacked him in the arm. "Never slap my ass again."

"Ow!" Dean laughed a little and rubbed his arm. "You don't have to be so violent, Morgan."

"Don't call me by my last name!" she snapped back at him. "And I'm protective of my butt, okay?"

"I would be, too. That thing is _fine_." Dean made a show of checking Andie out. She raised her hand to him and glared at him with furious eyes. Dean immediately held up his hands. "Kidding; joking. Never again; got it."

Miss. Tillerman came back into the room with a harried expression on her face. "My daughter had an accident at school; I have to go pick her up."

"Is she okay?" Andie asked immediately.

"Oh yes; fell of the monkey bars apparently." Miss Tillerman smiled, letting her visitors know there was nothing to worry about. "I'm afraid we'll have to do this another time."

"Oh, ok." Andie said as Melissa removed her apron and headed down the hall towards the door. For the first time, Andie noticed a wooden cross hanging above the door. "Can I just quickly ask you, though, did, ah, Penny have any children?"

Shaking her head, Melissa pulled her housecoat off the hook by the door and shrugged it on. "No. She did want them though; but she wanted to find a man, first."

"Was she seeing anybody?" Dean asked.

"Not that I know of." Melissa opened the front door and ushered Andie and Dean out in front of her. Then she shut the door behind them. "And she'd tell me something like that."

Andie wasn't sure how to ask the next question. Seeing as Penny was a ghost; still hanging around, that meant she had unfinished business. But Andie didn't know how to ask that without sounding like a whack job. "Was Penny, ah, in the middle...of anything?"

Melissa unlocked her SUV and opened the drivers' side door. "I-I don't know." She said hurriedly, searching for something in her handbag. "Look, I have to go. It was nice to meet you." She found what she was looking for, her sunglasses, and started her car. She drove out into the street leaving a forlorn Dean and Andie in her wake.

"Well." Dean sighed. "That did not go well."

Andie heaved a similar sigh. "No it did not."


	11. Chapter 11: Into Everywhere Creep

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

**Day 28**

'Into Everywhere Creep'

The next morning Andie was woken by the same shrill cry of the baby boy. It was six am. She'd been up with him half the night. Sam, who'd spent a restless day with the infant, was so tired he had fallen asleep within five minutes of Andie and Dean returning from their less-than-helpful visit with Melissa Tillerman. Due to his lack of sleep over the past few nights; Sam didn't wake up once during the night. Dean and Andie, on the other hand, both woke up each time the baby did.

Andie picked up the little boy and rocked him lazily under one arm while she fixed him a bottle of formula. She had to read the instructions on the back twice; as she had the day before, to mix it up properly. The baby did seem to like the food and Andie liked him more when he was eating; he was so quiet. Andie paced back and forth with her eyes closed as she fed the baby. He made a little sighing noise as he drank that made Andie open her eyes. She looked down at him; he was looking right back at her. For the first time Andie really noticed his face. He had glorious blue eyes, almost an unimaginable colour. He had wisps of golden blonde hair on his head that were slightly curling at the ends. Andie almost hated to admit it but he looked kind of cute.

"See?" She said in a soft voice to him. "Being quiet is fun, too."

"Do you expect him to answer?" Sam asked, rubbing his eyes as he stepped into the small kitchenette. He'd fallen asleep in his jeans and sweatshirt.

"You slept well." Andie told him; slightly resentfully. She hated the fact that she while she would wake up to even the slightest noise; like a feather dropping, people like Sam would sleep through an earthquake.

"Yeah, I'd almost forgotten what it was like." Sam went to the fridge and took out a carton of milk.

"Well, I think I'm starting to." Andie admitted, swaying the baby back and forth. "Hey, you fell asleep as soon as we came in yesterday; did you find anything out about Penny?"

"Yeah, actually. Nothing too exciting; but the police have called off the search." Sam drank from the milk carton; half-expecting Andie to complain, but she didn't even wince.

"Well; she's dead." Andie said bluntly. "She's a ghost. And ghosts haunt for a reason. A reason that somehow involves this baby." She sighed. "It doesn't make sense; someone left this kid in that abandoned home; they didn't want him to be found."

"How sure are we that he's not a demonic kid?" Sam realized. "Cos I gotta tell ya; from how he was yesterday; he's no angel. I swear; his cry is like an evil call for help."

"Well, even if that's true, no ones come to claim him." Andie replied. "So we're stuck with him until we figure out what's going on."

"You still think Melissa can help?" Sam asked.

"Well, she was kinda uneasy about having us there but she seemed to believe we were who we said we were." Andie told him. "What we need is something else; something to really make her feel safe." Andie thought for a moment; and for some reason she remembered Melissa's golden necklace and the cross above her door. Andie's eyes traveled up to Sam and she smiled.

Sam was immediately suspicious. "What?"

**xxx**

Dean, Andie, Sam and the baby all arrived at Melissa's home later that morning. Dean and Andie had brought the baby along as their 'son', hoping that the child would perhaps act as a buffer between the two of them and Melissa; showing her that they were genuine. Even though they were lying through their teeth.

Sam was not happy with his persona. Andie's brilliant idea had been to dress Sam as a priest; a character he'd played once before, but he didn't think this was the best way to gain Melissa Tillerman's trust. Andie was having none of his negativity. She managed to fashion a respectable looking colour from a cloth napkin for Sam to wear with his black suit. Sam, whose name was now Father James, fiddled with his suit as he, Dean and Andie walked towards the Tillerman home.

"I'm going on the record saying this is a bad idea." Sam spoke up. "No way is she gonna believe us."

"Where's your faith, Sammy?" Dean asked without turning back to his brother. "We've got this marriage thing down. And you add a kid to that? Everyone believes it."

"Hate to agree with him but he's right." Andie said to Sam, shifting the baby to her other hip. He was now quietly sucking on a pacifier Andie had purchased at the same time as her baby book. She was convinced this little plastic sucking device was magic; the baby hadn't cried since she'd stuck it in his mouth. "Women love babies; mother's love them more. Especially mothers like her. You should see her; she's like Martha Stewart."

Dean led the way up the front staircase and rung the doorbell. Melissa appeared moments later and looked from Dean to Andie to the baby to the priest. "What's going on?"

Dean managed to do some fast talking and explain the situation. Melissa seemed to believe him and let the four of them inside her house. She was quite taken by the baby; as Andie had expected, so she didn't hesitate to hand him over when Melissa asked if she could hold him.

"He's an angel." Melissa asked. "What's his name?"

Andie looked at Dean. He stared blankly back at her. They hadn't even thought to name the damn kid. Andie quickly looked back at Melissa. "Ah, Dean." She said immediately. "His-his name is Dean."

Melissa nodded and held him over her shoulder; patting his back. "Hello Dean."

Dean looked at Andie and gave her a 'What the hell?' look. She shrugged back.

Sam broke the silence. "So!" he said loudly, breaking up Andie and Dean's silent bickering. "Miss Tillerman. We are here to talk to you about Penny and how her...loss...has affected you...and your life." Sam saw Dean snigger out of the corner of his eye. He'd kick his ass later.

"I don't really have anything else to tell you." Melissa admitted. "It's like I told the police; Penny and I are neighbors, we have lunch every week or so. I went over to pick her up on Monday and she wasn't there. She never just disappears; I knew something was wrong." Sighing, Melissa handed baby 'Dean' back to Andie. "And now they've called off the search; they say they're looking for a body."

Dean was looking around the room as Melissa spoke. Something about the house seemed off to him; it had almost a sterility about it that made Dean uneasy. One thing was for sure, he wanted to check the second level. He tried to motion to Andie with his eyes what he wanted to do. All she did was roll her eyes back and glare at him for distracting her attention.

Melissa suddenly smiled. "Would you like some tea?"

"Ah, sure." Andie agreed. Melissa stood up and left the room. Andie followed with the baby in her arms but she hung back with Dean and Sam. "You have to check out this place; it's creepy to me."

Dean suppressed the urge to tell her he'd been thinking the exact same thing. But as it turned out, so had Sam.

"Me too." Sam spoke up.

"Ok, I'll distract her. You guys head upstairs." Andie offered.

"Are you sure?" Dean asked skeptically.

"Yeah; it'll be fine." Andie assured him. "Go."

Sam and Dean headed upstairs while Andie headed straight into the kitchen. "Oh! This is just gorgeous!" She said over-excitedly as she entered the room. "What a beautiful little kitchen."

"Oh, thank you." Melissa said proudly. She noticed that Andie had come in alone. "Where are your husband and the Father?"

"Oh, they were so taken by the architecture of the house; they just had to wander." Andie laughed haughtily. "Don't mind them; they're harmless."

"Oh, I can see that." Melissa assured Andie. "You're husband seems like a very lovely man. And he seems love you a lot."

This notion made Andie very uncomfortable. "Oh, thanks." She muttered.

"Although; if you don't mind me asking; why don't you wear wedding bands?" Melissa asked, filling the kettle at the sink.

Andie had to think fast. "Oh, ahh..." The baby gurgled loudly in her arms giving her an idea. "Well, since I had little Dean here my fingers are just massive." She silently thanked the passage she'd read in the baby book the night before about finger swelling.

"Oh yes." Melissa chuckled. "I remember."

"Oh, you're daughter." Andie pretended she's just remembered. "How is she?"

"Just fine." Melissa told her calmly, taking two mugs from the cupboard. "Just a bump on the head, she'll be fine. Back at school today." She put the cups on the bench and looked at Andie. "Will your husband be long?"

"Oh, no." Andie said smoothly. "Although he did say something about going to the bathroom; so he could be days." Andie let out another haughty laugh and was slightly put off when the baby giggled with her.

"He is just a dream." Melissa cooed looking longingly at the baby. "May I?" She reached out for the child.

Andie, still thinking that it was best just to go along with whatever Melissa wanted, handed over the baby boy. "He seems to like you." Andie said for lack of something better to say. Truthfully, the infant seemed reluctant to leave Andie's arms. She had to admit; that was a nice feeling.

"I love babies." Melissa said, looking down at the baby.

For some reason, they way she said that made Andie feel incredibly uneasy.

Upstairs, Sam and Dean were creeping cautiously through the halls. The weirdest thing was that had they not known that this was the same house they wouldn't have believed it. While the downstairs was completely well decorated in an extremely homely kind of way; the upstairs was a wreck. The walls weren't painted, the doors were all ajar and there was a thick layer of dust all over the floor.

"Well this ain't pretty." Dean whispered loudly. He didn't know why he felt he had to keep his voice down; apparently this setting invoked that in him.

Sam looked into the rooms they passed as they traveled up the hall. Each one was like the next; abandoned and musty. "I thought she had a daughter. There's no kid's room up here. Plus no photos." Sam said. "That's not normal, right?"

As Dean crept along, a foul smell rose into his nostrils. "Good God." He covered his mouth with the back of his hand and turned to his brother. "Is that you?"

Sam furrowed his brow. "What?" he asked. Then he smelled the air. "Aw, man." he closed his throat immediately. "What the hell is that?"

Dean walked to the end of the hallway to a closed door. He reached out for the handle and turned it slowly. Shoving it firmly; Dean made his way into the room. The smell was overwhelming. And Dean saw why. There was a woman's dead body in the corner of the room.

"Oh God." Sam caught sight of the body and turned away.

Dean moved closer to the body; recognizing the housedress, the apron, the golden cross around her neck. "This isn't good." He said, seeing her face.

"What?" Sam asked, still not wanting to look at the body.

Dean turned around. "This is the body of Melissa Tillerman."

This notion made Sam turn around. "But then who the hell is downstairs?"

Dean's heart filled with worry. "Andie."

Downstairs, Andie watched cautiously as Melissa jiggled the baby in her arms. The little boy was starting to whimper. Andie reached her hands out to him but Melissa made no move as to hand him back.

"I can see why you want to protect him." Melissa practically whispered.

Andie wasn't sure she'd heard correctly. "Sorry?"

Snapping her head up towards Andie, Melissa glared at her with bright red eyes. "He's my baby, now."

Andie barely got her mouth open to scream when Melissa jerked her head upwards; tossing Andie back off her feet and smashing her into a glass cabinet on the wall of the room. The glass shattered as Andie fell heavily on to the floor; unconscious. Melissa smirked, curled her arms around the wailing infant in her arms and disappeared.


	12. Chapter 12: Last To Know

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

**Day 28 continued**

'Last To Know'

Dean and Sam ran into the kitchen just in time to see 'Melissa' disappear in a black smoke with a screaming baby 'Dean' in her arms. "No!" Sam yelled, running towards the demon; but she was already gone.

Spotting Andie in a heap on the floor, Dean ran to her. "Andie!" he yelled. He knelt by her limp body and rolled her onto her back. She had a few cuts on her face and her arms from the glass, but she didn't seem to have any massive wounds. "Come on, Morgan, wake up." He brushed her hair out of her face and checked her pulse; she was alive, just unconscious.

Andie's senses came back one at a time. First she felt the sharp pieces of glass cutting into her body as she lay on them, then she tasted the blood in her mouth, next she smelt the aroma of splintered wood mixed with Dean's deodorant and then she heard a sharp ringing in her ears that soon faded and became the sound of dean's voice, coaxing her to wake up. Finally, she opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred at first but Dean's face soon came clearly into view.

"Hey; you okay?" Dean asked concernedly.

"She's a demon." Andie managed to say.

"We know." Dean admitted. "Melissa Tillerman's body's upstairs; she's been there awhile." Dean took Andie's hands and pulled her into a sitting position.

Andie held her hand to a cut on her forehead that was stinging like mad. Then she remembered. "The baby." She looked at Dean and then at Sam; both wore the Sam sorrowful expression. Andie's heart dropped.

"Hey." Dean said slowly, seeing the worry on her face. "We'll find him; don't even worry about it." Dean grasped Andie carefully by the arm and helped her to her feet.

**xxx**

Dean drove Sam and Andie back to their motel room in silence. Andie sat in the back with her arm rested up on the window; staring out at the horizon. He knew what she was thinking; he was thinking the exact same thing. How did they not know Melissa was a demon? Dean had been so preoccupied with helping Andie with the baby he hadn't even entertained the idea that they were being set up. Turning right into the street ahead of him, Dean glanced in his rearview mirror at Andie and the empty infant car seat caught his eye. For the first time Dean realized he was actually worried about the annoying little kid.

When the three of them arrived back at the motel, Sam quickly changed out of his priest attire and hit the internet looking for information on kidnapping demons. While Andie showed, Dean helped his brother compile a list of possible traits for the demon.

"She was a shape shifter." Dean remembered. "She had Melissa's look down to a tee."

"How long do you think she'd been dead for?" Sam asked.

"I'd say about a week going by the smell." Dean shrugged; trying to push past the disgusting memory.

"Demons want kids for all sorts of reasons." Sam spoke up. "Youth, innocence..."

A thought occurred to Dean. "Power." He said. "What if this isn't just some kid?"

"You mean he's a demon?" Sam asked.

"No; he's not. That's what I'm saying." Dean explained. "What if that baby is something special?"

"What, like a Chosen Child?" Sam asked, shaking his head. He was one of the Chosen Children of his generation; that was the reason for his visions. He'd met a number of other Chosen Children in his time as a hunter, all with different powers. Thinking back to that day and what had happened, Sam once again thought of the deal Dean made with the crossroads demon. Once again, he was reminded of the fact that he wasn't helping his brother, but helping Andie instead.

"Maybe he's gonna be powerful in the future or something?" Dean continued. "Or maybe he's the kid of another Chosen Child? I mean, Melissa Tillerman was dead awhile so everything she told Andie and I about Penny was a lie. For all we know, this _is_ her son."

In the bathroom, Andie was standing in front of the mirror stitching up a cut on her arm. Her mind was on the baby and how the hell she was going to get him back. _It's my fault_, she told herself. _How, after all this time, can I not spot a demon?_ Finishing up the stitches, Andie washed her hands and looked up at her reflection. She couldn't believe how tired she looked. Even her normally glossy, wavy dark brown hair was looking dull. Her eyes weren't sparkling and her skin seemed washed out. Andie was pale anyway; she didn't tan well, so now she looked almost ghost-like. Pulling her wet hair back tightly back into a ponytail, Andie sighed. She had no idea how she was going to get the baby back and no clue where to begin. Hoping Dean and Sam had better luck, she exited the bathroom.

Sam wasn't in the room when Andie came in. "Where's your brother?" Andie asked Dean who was sitting at the table.

"Getting dinner." Dean answered, scrolling through some internet pages on Sam's laptop. "Pizza good for you?"

"Yeah." Andie said absentmindedly as she sat on Dean's bed. She continued to sit silently while Dean told her all about his idea that the baby was a Chosen One destined for something important in the future; hence why a demon was after him. Andie picked up one of the pillows on the bed and hugged it to her chest.

Dean was halfway through telling Andie his theory that perhaps the baby was some kind of magical warrior when he realized she wasn't really paying attention. She was fiddling with the corner of the pillow in her lap and staring at the floor. Dean had never seen her look so downtrodden. "It's not your fault, you know." Dean told her. He hadn't thought Andie had been listening, but she snapped her head up when he said that.

"Yes it is." Andie told him; realizing how guilty she actually felt. "Dean, I've been doing this since I was born. I know demons. And I didn't even blink when I handed him over to her."

"How could you have known she was a demon?" Dean asked her, leaning forwards in his chair and resting his elbows on his knees. "She seemed legit to me, too."

"You weren't there." She admitted sadly. "You didn't willingly give her that baby."

"You gotta stop beating yourself up, Andie." Dean told her. "How are we gonna help him if you're wallowing?"

Andie looked up at him. He was right. She nodded. "Okay." She agreed. Sliding off the bed, she walked over to the computer. "So what about this demon? What do we know?"

Dean smiled, happy he'd brought her out of her funk, and looked at the computer screen. "Well, she was a shape-shifter of some kind; but I don't know what exactly."

"Easiest way to summon a shape-shifter is to give it what it wants." Andie said, remembering something her mother had told her. "And she already has the baby."

"So we go the hard way." Dean said immediately, refusing to let Andie fall into a pit of culpability.

The door to the motel opened and Sam came in with two pizza boxes in his arms. "I love having a pizza place right next door." He said happily, opening one of the boxes as he walked and breathing in the fantastic smell. "You caught up?" he nodded at Andie, meaning was she in on Dean's magical baby idea.

"Yeah." Andie told him, taking one of the boxes off him and handing it to Dean, who gluttonously put two pieces of pizza on top of each other and ate them before Andie could get through one. She and Dean filled him in on what they'd been discussing.

"Ok, so next best way to summon a shape-shifter?" Sam asked, starting on his second piece of pizza.

"Well, that would be a spell." Andie informed him. "And since none of us have any magical blood it won't be that strong a call; the demon probably won't respond."

"Hm-mm!" Dean mumbled loudly through a mouthful of food. He quickly swallowed. "Not completely true." He nodded at his brother. "Sammy's a chosen one."

"A what now?" Andie asked quizzically.

Sam quickly gave her the rundown. His visions, the other chosen ones, the Yellow Eyed Demon. He omitted the fact that he'd been killed and Dean had signed his life away to save him. Now was not that time for _that_ little chestnut. "So we use me as bait." Sam realized. "If that kid is a chosen one from a future generation; maybe the shape-shifter will want another one?"

"Isn't that incredibly dangerous?" Andie asked.

"Minor detail." Dean waved a dismissive hand at her. "Might be the only way to get that kid back." He didn't want to admit it, but he missed the screaming little bastard.

"Alright then." Sam got to his feet and brushed off his hands. "Let's do this."


	13. Chapter 13: Unplanned Plans

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

**Day 29**

'Unplanned Plans'

Andie hated empty warehouses but, for some reason, they were the best places for demonic smack downs. Perhaps it was because they were so dark and stale. Either way, Andie knew that if they had any chance of luring the shapeshifter it was going to be in a place the demon felt comfortable. Or at least more powerful. Andie had read about shapeshifters before in the notebook her mother kept. It was more like a diary, really, but it had all the demons she'd ever come into contact with as well as information on how to kill them. And, in Andie's case, how to summon them. The shapeshifter summoning spell wasn't all that difficult but it did mean Andie had to speak Latin; a dialect she was definitely not fluent in.

Sam was setting up the circle of black candles over the chalk drawn pentagram he'd scribbled on the floor. "Are we sure this is gonna work?" He asked the room. He and Dean weren't all that familiar with Andie's form of magic; but she was confident in it and they had no other alternative.

Dean was leaning against the wall of the warehouse loading his gun with a silver bullet. "As soon as that thing hands over the kid; I'll blast her ass back to hell." Dean looked over at Andie. At first he thought she was praying but then he realized she had a small, black notebook open in her hands and was muttering something over and over. "Are you good?" he asked her.

Breaking her concentration, Andie looked up at him. "Yeah; fine." She replied. "Just trying to get the wording of this spell right." She rolled her eyes and shut her mothers' diary. "If I get even one word wrong it won't work." She looked back down at the Latin script; it was becoming muddled in her mind. Loosely translated, what she had to read said: _Being of hate and changing form. I summon thee to this time and place. _

"I still don't get it." Sam said lighting the final candle. The soft glow of the flames was the only light in the room. It had hit midnight about an hour before. "Why would a shapeshifter want a baby?"

"We'll figure that out when we get him back." Andie said, looking back in the diary. She managed to repeat the spell once in her head without screwing up; that was all the preparation she allowed herself to take. Every second they waited was another second the baby was in danger. Clamping the book shut, Andie headed over to Sam and looked to Dean. "You should hide."

Dean looked confused. "Why?"

"Cos if this thing sees you with a gun it's gonna get suspicious." She told him knowingly. "I have to make it think I just want to trade Sam for the baby; I don't want to blow our cover." As she spoke, Andie had a thought. If she was the demon and saw Sam just standing there, willing to give his soul over for a baby he barely knew; she'd get suspicious. "Come to think of it," She turned to Sam. "You might blow our cover, too."

"What, you want me to hide?" Sam asked quizzically.

Andie reached for a plank of wood that was leaning against the wall beside her. "No; I got it." She whacked him hard, but not too hard, over the back of the head. He fell heavily to the ground.

"What the hell?!" Dean screamed, storming over to her.

Andie waved a dismissive hand at him as she checked that Sam's pulse was still steady. "He'll be fine. But if you were this demon wouldn't you think it was a little odd that he'd just be standing here while I'm trading his soul?" This statement silenced Dean but he still looked thoroughly annoyed. "Just go hide, please?" Andie asked him. Dean turned around angrily and hid behind the door of an adjoining room. Andie stood beside the pentagram of black candles, cleared her throat, closed her eyes and recited the spell.

"_Res of contemno quod changing vultus ego voco thee ut is vicis quod locus_." Andie said in a low voice. She waited a few moments and then opened one eye. Nothing had happened. "Huh." She muttered, annoyed at her pronunciation of the spell; she must've said it wrong. Turning to tell Dean she was going to try again, Andie gasped. She was standing face-to-face with herself. The shapeshifter had taken on Andie's form and was smirking.

"Don't you know it's rude to sneak up on a girl?" Andie said smoothly, trying not to let the bizarre situation throw her off.

"Why did you summon me?" it asked her, mimicking the stance the real Andie was using.

"You know why or you wouldn't have come." Andie replied, squaring her own stance to try and give off the appearance she was cool, calm and collected. She wasn't sure she was doing that good a job. "I want the baby."

"Ahh, yes." The other Andie smirked again. "Such a powerful baby."

"Is he alright?" Andie asked nervously.

The other Andie laughed loudly. "I don't care for killing that thing." She spat at Andie. "His power will grow as he grows."

Andie paused. "I want to make a trade." She said firmly.

Dean, who was watching from the other side of the door, kept looking back and forth between the two Andie's. Had it not been such an imperative situation he would've made a crack about it. Right now he had to make sure he kept his gun on the right Andie.

The demon scoffed. "What on earth could be worth more then that infant?"

"How about another Chosen Child?" Andie nodded her head down to the unconscious Sam at her feet. "He's the strongest of them all; the only one who survived the Yellow-Eyed Demons _tests_." The shape shifter didn't answer; apparently considered the pros and cons of the trade. Andie continued. "He's powerful right now; you wouldn't have to wait like you will with the baby. He won't come to his full potential for years. And until then you'd have to raise him. Trust me; he's not an easy one to handle."

"This child isn't even your own." The demon spat at Andie.

"So? I want to help him and I'm offering you more power that you can tap into right now." Andie gestured at Sam again. "You'd be stupid not to take it." She smirked. "I would."

The shapeshifter looked suspiciously at Andie, but couldn't seem to resist the call of more power. She held out her arms and moments later, the baby appeared in the demon's arms. He looked very sad and had obviously been crying a lot; but he didn't appear to be hurt. The shapeshifter held the child out to Andie.

Dean took aim behind the door.

Taking the baby quickly, Andie held him to her chest covering his ears with her hands as she stepped away from the demon. She was reaching for Sam. A gunshot rang out loudly throughout the room as the shapeshifter was hit in the heart. Dean was standing in the doorway with his smoking gun aimed at the demon. The demonic Andie fell to the ground with a loud thud.

The sound of the gun shot scared the baby into a fit of shrieks. Andie rocked him in her arms. "It's okay. You're okay." She mumbled into his ear, unable to take her eyes off herself lying dead on the floor. Dean came in her direction. "You killed me."

"Yeah; my bad." Dean bent down to check Sam. He slapped him in the face a couple of times. "Hey, Sammy! Time for school; come on."

Sam groaned and opened his eyes. Dean helped him up to his feet as he rubbed the back of his head with his hand. He glared at Andie. "Why did you-" he spotted the baby. "You got him back?"

"_We_ got him back." Andie corrected him.

"Yeah, you did your part too, Sammy." Dean smacked him heartily on the back.

"I was unconscious." Sam replied bitterly.

"Pot-_ay_-to, pot-_ah_-to." Dean shrugged to Andie.

**xxx**

That night back at the hotel, everyone was sleeping soundly. After they'd burnt and buried Andie's other body; they'd gone straight back to the motel. Dean had gallantly leant Andie his bed for the night. Well, he'd fallen asleep on the couch and she _took_ his bed but she chose to think of it as him being generous. Sam as sleeping on his bed and the baby was in his bed slash drawer beside Dean on the couch.

Andie had been having a dreamless sleep when she was awakened by a bright, blinding white glow from across the room. It took her a few moments to fully wake but when she did, she saw the baby being lifted up into the air by a glowing, white figure.

"Dean! Sam!" She yelped before she really registered what she was seeing.

Dean jumped awake. "What?" he turned and saw the transparent figure. "Oh!" he yelped rearing back on the couch.

Sam sluggishly awoke but was quick to rise when he saw the ghost. "What the hell?!

Then Andie realized it wasn't just any figure. It was Penny Smithfield, the same woman in the white nightgown who had led Andie to the baby in the first place. The infant seem so calm in Penny's arms Andie just knew that this was his mother. The ghostly woman emitted a radiant glow that seemed to give everything in the room comforting warmth.

Penny looked up at Andie with her brilliant green eyes and smiled. "Thank you for saving my son." She said in a voice that could only be described as angelic.

"Ah…you're welcome." Andie said quietly as she crept up to the end of the bed; unable to take her eyes of the woman. Dean and Sam were both watching Penny with the same awing expression. Andie realized she'd have to be the one to ask the questions. "What is he?" she asked. "Why do demons want him?"

Cradling her baby gently, Penny looked over to Dean. "You were right, Dean." She said. "He is the son of a Chosen Child." She looked to Sam. "I was Chosen for the generation before your own. I was the strongest of the strongest. And then…." She looked down at the baby who cooed in her arms. "After he was born I realized that my purpose was not to be a Chosen Child. It was to be his mother. He is to do great things in the future. He'll be the leader of an army of hunters; the most powerful warrior ever to be known."

While Sam and Andie absorbed this information; Dean remained tactless. "How did you die?" he asked blatantly.

Penny looked sorrowful. "I was murdered by the same shapeshifter that murdered Melissa Tillerman. The same one who wanted my son." Penny said sadly. "I managed to find you, Andie, and leave him where I knew you'd find him."

"Find him and do what?" Andie asked helplessly. "I can't protect him forever."

"He needs to be with his family." Penny said seriously, ignoring Andie's powerless attitude. "My family home is built on a spiritual nexus in the centre of a pentagram; it will protect him until he's ready to lead his army. My mother still lives there today."

"And where is this place?" Dean asked, folding his arms.

"Read Road, Lilly Lake." Penny told them. "In Illinois on the way to Chicago. A burgundy mansion; it's the only home on the street."

"Chicago?" Andie repeated sounding slightly incredulous. Chicago was weeks away from Linus. "You want us to take him to Chicago?"

"It's the only way to save him." Penny pleaded to Andie with desperate eyes. "He is so important in the fight that is to come." The woman lifted her son up on to her shoulder and hugged him tightly.

Even though she was almost transparent, Andie could see tears in the woman's eyes. "What if we can't?" Andie said aloud. She hated to be the voice of negativity but she was just thinking rationally. "We've got a whole lot of demons to send back to hell and now you want us to weave in saving a baby?"

"Saving him is part of your journey; you must understand that if you want to get anywhere in this life." Penny kissed her son lightly on his head before handing him over to Dean; her desire to cling to her son evident on her beautiful face.

Dean took the infant and held him close to his chest. The baby swiveled his head so he could watch his mother. He didn't cry or whimper; he simply watched her.

"I have to leave now." Penny said sorrowfully.

"Wait." Andie climbed off the bed and stood up to Penny. She needed to know one thing. "Why me?" she asked.

Penny looked as though this was the simplest question in the world. "Because you know, Andie." She replied. She looked to Dean and Sam. "So do both of you. You've all experienced less then perfect childhoods. You know how important it is for my son to be with his family. Look what you did today; you saved him with no thought for your own safety." She sighed. "That's why."

Andie folded her arms over her middle and was surprised to feel tears in her eyes. The mention of her childhood always made her remember her mother. And that opened up a whole world of painful memories Andie had been trying desperately to submerge for as long as she could remember.

Penny looked to Dean and the baby and blew a final kiss to her son. "I love you, my boy." And she began to disappear.

"Wait!" Andie called out. "One more thing." She was relieved to see Penny come back into view. "What's his name?"

Penny smiled sadly. "His name is Charlie." And with that she disappeared.

Baby Charlie squirmed and whimpered quietly in Dean's arms; but he didn't cry. Sam, Andie and Dean remained silent for a few moments just staring at the space where Penny had been. After awhile, Andie looked to the brothers.

"Chicago, anyone?"


	14. Chapter 14: Day Off

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

**Day 45**

'Day Off'

Dean, Andie and Sam had been traveling for about a week and a half on their way to Chicago to drop off baby Charlie. It was becoming a very repetitive lifestyle. They all had to pack into Dean's Impala, Sam and Dean in the front, Andie and Charlie in the back, so as well as being repetitive, they were also cramped.

On top of that; they were staying in another crummy hotel. Andie forked out the extra cash to get a crib for Charlie to sleep in but that was about the only perk the motel had to offer. The room was small as always, two single beds and a moth-eaten sofa, but it was all they needed for the couple of days they were in town. They were currently in Mason City, Iowa heading towards Illinois. It was quite a lively town compared to where they were used to staying. There were actually places to go and things to do.

Andie had spent the first afternoon in Mason City scoping out their surroundings and picking up supplies. It was on that walk she'd seen a flier for a town fair in East Park. Thinking that it might be nice for Charlie to see something other then the inside of the Impala or a bad motel room; she decided that the morning before they left she'd take him to see it.

After Andie had showered and changed into jeans and a vintage t-shirt; she came out of the bathroom into the living room slash bedroom slash kitchen that was their motel room to see Sam and Dean sitting on the floor with Charlie and one of his wind-up toy cars. By the looks of the line of tape stuck to the carpet and the guilty look on both of their faces; Andie assumed they'd been racing.

"Well, I see you're all having a productive day." She mused walking over to them.

"Morgan, you gotta see this kid." Dean said excitedly; the guilt fading rapidly off his face.

Andie let the annoyance of Dean calling her by her surname pass as she was slightly intrigued as to what they were doing.

Dean knelt on his knees and grabbed Charlie and the car. He put Charlie on all fours and held him still with one hand while he wound up the toy car. Dean looked up at Sam. "Ready?"

Sam held is finger expectantly over the timer on his watch. "Yeah...go!" he hit the timer.

Dean released Charlie and the toy at the same time. Andie watched, less then impressed at first, but Charlie crawled swiftly across the floor towards Sam. She had to admit; it was pretty cool.

"Woo!" Sam cheered when Charlie crossed the finish line. "Beat his old record. 6 seconds!"

Charlie pulled himself into a sitting position at Sam's feet and laughed; as if he knew they were all playing a pointless game. Sam held both of the baby's hands and helped him stand up. "Nicely done; buddy."

They weren't positive how old Charlie was; but he was old enough to play around with so Andie assumed around 10 months to a year. He'd been with Sam, Dean and Andie for about couple of weeks now and was definitely getting more comfortable in their presence. And they were getting more accustomed to having him around.

"Well, as fun as this is." Andie said getting to her feet. "We're going to get going." Sam stood up and handed Charlie to her.

"Now, why you gotta take this kid to a fair?" Dean asked, also getting to his feet. "He's not gonna remember it."

"I know." Andie admitted. "But it'd be nice for him to have something to do. I mean; other than inane, moronic racing." She looked to Dean. "Why, you wanna come?"

"To a fair?" Dean asked skeptically. "Y'know, with all the demons I've killed; putting a ping pong ball into a clowns mouth probably won't do much for me."

"Now that's not the right attitude." Andie said with a grin. She turned to Sam. "Come on; we should all go. It'll be fun."

"I _am_ kinda sick of this room." Sam confessed.

**xxx**

Twenty minutes later, the four of them were at the East Park fair. It was a relatively small event with elderly women showing off their sewing and jam creations, incredibly easy children's games and more pamphlets then one needed in a lifetime. Dean had been complaining but once he had a stick of cotton candy in his hand; he was silent.

Andie and Dean were immersed in a conversation about where they should eat lunch and Sam was about to put in his two cents when he saw a girl sitting at a booth up ahead of them. She was gorgeous. She was sitting on a deck chair surrounded by books. She was reading with a book in her lap with her golden blonde hair falling over her shoulder and swaying slightly in the breeze. He was so busy looking at her he didn't realize Dean had asked him a question.

"Sammy." Dean slapped him on the shoulder.

Sam snapped his head towards his brother. "What?"

Dean's eyes fell on the blonde girl reading. "Oh, I get it." He nodded.

"She's selling old books from the church." Andie read the sign taped to the fold-out table in front of the girl. "Might have something we could use."

Dean shoved Sam in the direction of the table. He stumbled, but recovered quickly and shot an angry glare back at his brother. Dean shrugged as he, Andie and Charlie continued walking along. Sam tried to look nonchalant as he scanned the old books. Many of them didn't have titles; just leather bound covers, but all seemed to be ancient. Sam spotted a maroon leather novel sticking out of a pile of books and pulled it out. Opening it; he saw that it was a collection of exorcism testimonies. Seeing as how a lot of the demons he and Sam had let out of the Devil's Gate embodied humans; exorcism was becoming a regular act in their lives.

"Not very holy, huh?" a breezy, female voice spoke up in front of Sam.

Looking up, he saw the beautiful woman who had been reading standing before him smiling. He noticed she had sparkling blue eyes and abnormally straight teeth. "Ah, yeah, I guess." Sam replied, returning her smile. He could see she was wearing a stick-on name tag that read '_Ellie_'. "How come you're selling all these books?"

"The church needs money." Ellie told him. "Although; it _always_ needs money. We have one of these fairs twice a year. I've been selling the same books for about four years." She laughed lightly. "You're like my eighth customer ever."

Sam smiled. "Well, in that case, I won't let you down." He handed her the exorcism book.

---

Andie and Dean were further up the line of stalls at a caramel stand that Dean insisted they stop at. Andie agreed with the stipulation that he carry Charlie for awhile. He may have been small but after an hour he weighed a ton. Andie laughed at Dean's ability to hold the infant and stuff his face with caramel at the same time. Then Dean spotted an ice-cream stand and was forced to sit down to eat.

Andie bought herself a plain vanilla cup of ice-cream while Dean opted for chocolate covered chocolate ice-cream with chocolate sprinkles. They sat at a plastic table and chairs where Dean held Charlie on one knee and ate with one hand. Andie tried to have a conversation with him but it was practically impossible; she was laughing too much. Charlie was sticking his hand in Dean's bowl and sucking on his hand. Somehow; he got more ice-cream in his hair then in his mouth.

---

Ellie handed Sam his exorcism book. "Y'know; I think we have more books like this in here somewhere." She gestured to the boxes of books behind her. "I'd be more then happy to look for you." She smiled sweetly at him.

Sam smiled back. "Sure." He said. "I'm Sam, by the way."

"Ellie." She replied, turning sideways and grabbing up one of the boxes on the ground. "So, are you an exorcist or do you just like scary books?"

Laughing lightly, Sam shook his head. "No; not an exorcist." He told her. "Just interested."

Ellie nodded and heaved a bunch of books out of the box in front of her. She turned to Sam, apparently getting an idea. She turned and heaved another box of books up beside the one she was looking through and beckoned Sam to come over to her side of the table. "You may was well make yourself useful." She smiled at him.

---

Dean and Charlie were finishing up his ice-cream while Andie was looking over the map she'd brought with them. The plan was to get to Anamosa by this time the next day so they had to leave that afternoon with a stop over in Waverly that night purely for sleep.

"Alright so if we leave at around four..." Andie mused as she looked over the map. "Then we should get to Waverly at around midnight. We could leave there at about ten and head to Anamosa."

Spoon feeding Charlie some more ice-cream, Dean had a thought. "Y'know, if Sammy drives us to Waverly and I sleep the whole way there; I can just take over. Then we don't have to stop."

"Are you sure? It's a long way." Andie looked up at him and smiled. Both Dean and Charlie had almost identical patterns of ice-cream all over their faces. "I can't talk to you when you look like that." Andie threw up her hands and laughed.

"Like what?" Dean challenged her.

"That!" she laughed as she reached for her shoulder bag; which was rapidly becoming both her purse and Charlie's baby bag. She retrieved a packet of cleaning wipes and pulled one out. She beckoned to Dean. "Come here."

Hanging onto Charlie, Dean leant forwards and let Andie wipe the ice-cream off his face. If she was willing to take care of him like this; he wasn't going to stand in her way. He wasn't going to pretend that he didn't like the attention from her.

Andie finished cleaning Dean and started on Charlie; he'd managed to get it into and onto everything he touched. She cleaned him as best as she could and then turned back to Dean. "Hang on." She'd missed spot on his cheek so she reached over and cleared it off easily.

"Get it?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Andie said, slowly retracting her hand.

They held each other's gaze for a few seconds.

"Huh-bah!" Charlie yelped, slamming his hands down onto the table. One hand hit the side of Dean's ice-cream cup and spilled the remaining contents all over Charlie. He laughed crazily and tossed his head back into Dean who cracked with laughter at Andie's shocked face.

"He was waiting for me to clean him up to do that!" She said, breaking into laugher as well.

---

A half hour and a clean baby later, Dean and Andie were bored with the fair. Sam was still with the beautiful blonde and, rather then interrupt them, Dean and Andie were trying to make their own fun. They were sitting in a couple of patio chairs that were for sale out the front of a large, ancient caravan that was also on the market. The man selling the items was as old as his caravan and had fallen asleep in his chair. Dean had Charlie on his lap and his legs up on the fold out table in front of the patio chairs. He had invented the game that they were currently playing; although it involved abusing Andie's telekinetic power.

The game was that she had to move an item on a person walking by, like a hat or item in their hand, and Dean had to guess what that item was. Since it was a breezy day; it proved to be a challenging task to guess what Andie had been moved and what fell of its own accord.

Though the game provided a solid ten minutes of enjoyment, they both grew weary of it as there were so few people at the fair. Dean suddenly spotted something they hadn't tried yet. He got to his feet and grabbed Andie by the forearm. "Come on." He urged as he yanked her along.

Rather then question him; Andie just went along with it. Dean pulled her towards a photo booth, a popular choice for adolescent teenage girls judging by the examples on the side of the cubicle. Andie was reluctant at first but Charlie seemed so excited that she didn't want to put a damper on the boy's fun. The three of them managed to squeeze into the photo booth. Dean handed Charlie to Andie while he put some coins in the machine. It sprang to life blaring some kind of carnival music and a video camera image of Andie, Dean and Charlie appeared on the screen ahead of them. A comical voice gave them the instructions that they had fourty-seconds to pose with the camera taking a picture every three seconds. The first few were just random shots of Andie and Dean trying to figure out what was going on, the next few were them just screaming with laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation, but finally they got the hang of it and struck a few poses. The obligatory silly face was first, ugly face was next, scared after that, overly happy and then screaming at nothing. Charlie, who had been giggling the whole time, became the focus of a few shots before the comical voice announced they only had one photo left. Dean took a chance and kissed Andie on the cheek. She was less unexpected then she expected she'd be and managed to make a mock dreamy face. Next they chose ten of their favourite photos to print. The kissing one turned out to be quite funny. Charlie was looking up at them both from Andie's lap and reaching for Dean's chin while he gnawed on his other fist. Dean and Andie were musing over their chosen pictures when the screen door of the booth flew open causing them both to scream.

It was Sam.

Carrying a pile of books in his arms he looked down at the three of them. "I've been looking everywhere for you." He was annoyed.

"You were talking to the hot blonde." Dean reminded him as he followed Andie and Charlie out of the booth. "We didn't want to interrupt; it's been awhile for you." He smirked.

"Har-har." Sam retorted.

Andie eyed the stack of books. "Wow; she saw you coming."

Sam looked confused. "What?"

"She conned you into buying all that." Andie laughed.

"For your information she gave me these free of charge." Sam held up a piece of paper. "As well as her number."

"Atta boy, Sammy." Dean playfully punched his brothers' shoulder as the four of them headed for Dean's Impala. "Next time we swing by; you can give her a call."

Sam saw Dean's sarcasm head on. "The point is I got it; didn't I?"

"Whatever helps you get through the night." Dean grinned.

The three of them went back to the motel and packed up their stuff. Sam drove out of the motel driveway with Andie sitting beside him as Dean and Charlie, strapped securely in his car seat, fell straight to sleep in the back. Andie and Sam sat in a comfortable silence as the sun set; both relishing in the fact that they'd enjoyed a whole day with no demon attacks; no exorcisms, no kidnapping attempts or near-death experiences. And they both knew, for different reasons; that days like these weren't going happen all that often.


	15. Chapter 15: Homecoming

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

**Day 53**

'Homecoming'

"No more diapers." Dean sang happily as he tossed some baby toys into a bag.

"No more crying at three am." Sam added tossing a felt ball to Dean.

"No more Andie going '_Look at the baby, look at the baby_'. Man; it was like having a wife." Dean shook his head. They had finally arrived in Lily Lake; baby Charlie's hometown. He was going home the next day. They'd arrived at around ten o'clock that evening and the Winchester boys were packing up; making sure he had all his things together.

"Seriously; though." Sam started; sitting up on his bed. "Are you gonna miss Charlie?"

"Miss him?" Dean scoffed. "God no. You are?"

"Well; it wasn't all bad." Sam brought up. "I mean, remember the races? That was fun. And hell; he started walking with us; walked right to you." Sam eyed his brother up and down. "You're not gonna miss him, even a little?"

Dean shook his head. "Nope." He turned his back to Sam and finished packing the bag; hoping that his brother would just drop the subject.

"Hey, what about Andie?" Sam brought up.

"What about her?" Dean asked over his shoulder.

"Well, the only reason she came back to us was to ask for help to get Charlie home." Sam reminded his brother. "And he's going home tomorrow, so..."

Suddenly aware of what Sam was talking about, Dean turned around. "You think she's gonna leave?"

Sam shrugged. "Why should she stay?"

xxx

Andie swung back and forth on the rusted swing set with baby Charlie in her lap. The motel they were staying at was very family friendly and had a little park behind the rooms. Nothing to spectacular; just a swing set, a roundabout and a couple of slides. Andie had been sitting there for about twenty minutes. Charlie seemed to be perfectly comfortable, sucking on a teething ring and drooling all over himself.

Even though it was late at night, Andie felt oddly comfortable sitting in an empty park. She liked being on her own to think about things. Mostly she thought about the next day. She had to take Charlie back to his grandmother; back to his home. She knew it was the safest thing for him. She _knew _that. But her desire to keep the baby was strengthening every time she thought about saying goodbye to him. Her life had become so centred on looking after Charlie that she wasn't sure what she'd do without him. Well, that wasn't entirely true. She _knew_ what she would do; she would hunt. She would run. She would survive; just like before. Her life would go back to the way it had been. And Andie was desperate for that not to happen.

xxx

The next day; Dean woke early, before Sam and Andie. It was just before sunrise. He awoke, showered and searched the kitchen for some food when he heard Charlie stirring in his crib. Not wanting the child to wake the others, Dean went and collected him. The baby stopped crying immediately. Dean took him into the kitchen and made himself some toast and a bottle for Charlie. The motel they were staying at had leant them a high chair as well as the crib so Dean placed Charlie in it and sat at the kitchen table across from him. As he always did, Charlie gnawed on the nipple of the bottle before actually drinking from it; an action Dean found amusing for some reason. And this morning, Charlie laughed back.

"Ok, you." Dean scooted his chair closer to the baby. "Here's the deal. You're going home today. Which means you're not gonna be seeing us anymore." The baby was looked Dean dead in the eyes as he spoke. "But it's gonna be great. You'll be with your grandmother. And when I spoke to her on the phone the other day she sounded cool; the kinda grandma to give you candy for dinner." Dean shuffled even closer to Charlie. "Look. You and I...we're buds, right?"

Charlie cooed.

Dean nodded. "Right. So I'm gonna tell you something, ok? As long as you promise you won't tell anyone, alright?"

Charlie grinned. Dean reached out and linked pinkies with the baby, making a silent promise.

"Alright. You know Andie, right? Hot girl who found you and is now completely in love with you?" Dean sighed. "Well...she's been staying with us as long as you have and I kinda...I've...I'm used to her being here. And if she leaves...well, I don't want her to. So I was hoping you could put in a good word for me?"

"Bah!" Charlie tossed his bottle at Dean and laughed loudly as he stuffed his fists into his mouth.

Dean picked up the bottle and smiled. "And bah to you, too, little guy."

xxx

Later that morning it was time to say goodbye. The three of them had decided not to stay in Lily Lake longer then they needed to so Sam and Dean were going to wait for Andie at a café in town while she dropped off Charlie then they were all going to head out of town.

Andie hadn't mentioned going her own way so Dean didn't bring it up. He liked having Andie around. He had fun fighting with her, unlike most people. They bickered over the smallest things and Dean had never really thought about how much he enjoyed it. There was no way he'd tell _Andie_ this, though.

Dean and Andie packed the Impala while Sam strapped Charlie in his car seat. "Ok, Charlie." Sam said quietly as she buckled him in. "You be good to your grandmother, ok? See you again when you're a big hero." He pecked the baby on top of the head and climbed out of the car.

Ten minutes later they were pulling up out the front of a large mansion on Read Road. Sam helped Andie get all of Charlie's stuff together and hugged the infant goodbye. Dean didn't leave the car, just waved when Sam prompted him.

"You want us to stay?" Sam asked Andie.

"No, it's fine. I think it'll be easier if it's just me." Andie said, taking the baby back from Sam. "It's ok; you go."

Andie waited with Charlie at the front stoop of the long path that led up to the mansion as Dean started the car and they drove away.

xxx

Dean and Sam had been eating at the café for ten minutes before Sam brought up something he was wondering about. "What's with you, man?"

"I'm eating, Sammy." Dean said, looking thoroughly annoyed that Sam had interrupted his club sandwich.

"You and the kid. Don't act like you don't care that he's gone." Sam pressed.

"I don't." Dean said bluntly. Sam opened his mouth to protest. "Sam; he was a job. You can't get attached to people; just makes it harder to say goodbye."

Sam didn't say anything. They just fell back into a lull of silence.

After they had eaten dessert, Sam checked his watch. It was almost three in the afternoon. "Where the hell is Andie?"

Dean shrugged. "Woman's a talker; she's probably swapping stories with grandma." His cell phone began to ring. "I bet you that's her; Morgan can't keep her mind off me." He answered his phone. "Hello my love." Dean said in a sultry tone. "Oh, sorry."

The way Dean changed out of his Casanova voice told Sam that it was _not_ Andie on the other end of the line. He only heard Dean's side of the conversation but it sounded urgent.

"When I know something I'll call you." Dean said, hanging up his cell. He looked up at Sam.

Sam read the look on his brother's face. "What's wrong?"

"That was Charlie's grandmother." Dean told him worriedly. "Andie never showed."


	16. Chapter 16: So Long, Charlie

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

**Day 54**

'So Long, Charlie'

Sam tried to get Andie on her cell for the millionth time with the same result. "No answer." He said to Dean who was driving away from the café. "The grandmother thinks it was a demon?"

"Yeah, said there's no other explanation." Dean replied.

Sam sighed. "Alright, I'll call Bobby, see if he knows-"

"No." Dean stopped him. "I'm gonna drop you at the grandmothers and you're gonna stay there til I call you."

"What?" Sam was confused. "Why?" Dean didn't answer, but his stony demeanor clued Sam in to what was going on. "You don't think it was a demon."

Dean didn't answer.

"Why would Andie do that?" Sam asked, now even more confused.

Dean hit the breaks on his car out the front of the mansion. "I dunno."

Sam got out of the car and leaned in on the window. "Let me know if she-"

"Yeah, yeah." Dean pulled away quickly.

Sam stumbled but didn't fall. He watched Dean speed away and sighed.

xxx

Dean didn't even know where to start looking for Andie. But he knew that, for whatever reason, she had decided not to take Charlie inside to his grandmother. Thinking that he'd check in with the motel they'd stayed at, perhaps she'd stopped back there, Dean pulled into the driveway and head for the front office.

There, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Andie. She was sitting on the swing set with Charlie in her lap. Dean sighed with relief and wandered over to her. He knew she knew he was there as he sat in the swing beside her. They didn't speak for awhile.

Andie knew he'd find her; she should have picked a better hiding place. But she didn't have her own transport and she'd left her wallet in Dean's car so her only option had been to walk the five miles back to the motel. Once she got there and remembered they'd checked out; the park was the only place she could think of to hide.

"What are you doing, Andie?" Dean finally broke the silence between them. He didn't look at her, just leant against the chain of the swing and waited for her to reply.

Andie didn't want to cry but the tears in her eyes were more persistent then her will. "I couldn't do it, Dean." She said, swallowing hard to keep the tears at bay.

"Do what?" Dean asked.

Andie paused. "Leave him there...with that woman."

Dean sighed. "She's his family. He's safe with her."

"No, he's safe with me." Andie replied quickly, looking over at Dean. The tears welling in her eyes threatened to fall. "I know it's not realistic to think that I could drag a baby around with me but...if I have him I _know_ he's okay; I can protect him." One tear fell from her eye. "That woman...she doesn't know him. She doesn't know that he hates lullabies. She doesn't know that he only likes sucking on people's pinky fingers. She doesn't know that he has to have his pacifier in his hand when he's sleeping. Not in his mouth; in his hand." The tears flowed freely. "She doesn't know that he likes being rocked to sleep with a hand on his chest...she doesn't know anything about him...and I'm supposed to just leave him here?" Her chin quivered. She looked away from Dean and hugged Charlie to her chest. He'd been dozing quite happily but didn't seem to mind being cuddled.

Dean watched Andie; feeling incredibly sorry for her. But he knew she didn't want his pity. He needed to be the reasonable one in this situation. "Andie...he's not your baby." She shook her head, but Dean continued. "You were meant to save him and bring him here to his family. You've done that." He paused. "Now we have to get outta here."

"I can't do it, Dean." She said defeated. "I tried but I can't."

"Yes you can." Dean said firmly.

Andie turned to him. "How do you know that?" she asked exasperatedly.

Dean shrugged. "Because I know you. You're smart, Andie. You _know_ this is the only place Charlie is completely safe."

Andie sighed, wiping the tears off her cheeks. "I hate you." She mumbled to Dean.

Dean smiled. "I know you do."

**xxx**

A half hour later, Andie was once again walking up the ominous steps towards Charlie's grandmother's manor. But this time she had nowhere to run; Dean and Sam were watching from the Impala on the side of the road. She could feel their eyes on her as she walked up the path with Charlie in her arms. He was mumbling inaudibly to himself; happily unaware of what was going on. Andie readjusted the grip on the baby bag slung over her shoulder and ascended the front staircase of the manor. It was a really beautiful home; it reminded Andie of her own back on Australia years before. She hit the doorbell and waited. Moments later, an elderly woman wearing a flowing peasant dress opened the door. Her eyes lit up when she saw the baby.

"Charlie!" She cried happily; reaching for the infant.

Andie had been unsure how the baby would react, but he seemed more then happy to go to his grandmother. Andie handed him over willingly.

"Oh, I missed you so much." Charlie's grandmother whispered into his ear. "I'm so glad that you're safe." She held the baby close to her chest and looked up at Andie, tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Andie." She reached one arm out and pulled Andie into a hug. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Andie said as she pulled away.

"Oh, I'm Miley." The woman said, shaking her head. "Miley Smithfield. Come; come in."

Before Andie could even answer, Miley was ushering her inside her home. In awe at the sheer magnetism of the inside of the house, Andie was silent until they reached the living room.

"You have no idea how much you have done for me." Miley said, sitting on the couch with Charlie in her arms. She patted the seat next to her and beckoned Andie to sit.

Andie did so. She had an immediate like for this woman. She was sort of a hippie Grandmother; the kind who'd sing with you rather then help you with homework. Her hair had obviously been died a deep maroon colour but she kept a single gray streak running through the side. She was, in a word, cool.

"Penny…my daughter…" Miley closed her eyes in mourning. "She died to protect this boy. And she risked it all to help you find him." She smiled. "But bringing him here…that was all you, Andie. You helped us and you don't even know who we are."

"Well, it's my job." Andie said meekly.

Charlie yawned in Miley's arms. "Oh, he must be exhausted." She rose and patted Charlie's underside. "I have a room all set up for you, my darling." She cooed, heading towards the staircase. Suddenly she stopped and turned around to Andie. "Actually, I think it would be best if _you_ took him."

"Really?" Andie couldn't hide the happiness in her voice.

Miley nodded and smiled.

Andie got up and walked over to Miley, taking Charlie from her arms and placing him carefully over her shoulder.

Miley waited downstairs while Andie took Charlie upstairs to his room. It wasn't hard to find, _Charlie_ was written on the door in small wooden letters. Andie slowly opened the door and was almost blinded by the array of blue that lay before her. Blue walls, blue teddy bears, a blue rug, blue bedding; blue everything.

"Wow, look at this." Andie breathed. "No more sleeping in drawers for you." She walked slowly towards the crib and pushed the side down. Then she lowered little Charlie onto the clean, comfortable sheets. "Ok, little man…" Andie said slowly. She patted him on the stomach and let him grab at her hand, putting her little finger in his mouth. Andie glanced up and saw Dean's Impala sitting out in the street. She knew she had to say goodbye; what was the use in dragging it out? She looked back down at Charlie. "I wish...I wish things were different." She said, realizing tears were appearing in her eyes. "I wish I could take you home and see you everyday but…I can't...I've gotta go." She sniffled as the little boy kicked his legs happily. "I want...I wanna say that I'll see you real soon but I just...I don't know if I will." Andie firmly held Charlie's hand in her finger. "I want you to know that I had the _most_ fun with you. And I'm so sad that I can't take you with me." The baby's eyes started to close slowly; he was getting tired. "But you're gonna be fine. You have your Grandma. She seems like a nice lady. And she sure loves you a whole lot. She'll take care of you; better then I could." Andie wiped a tear off her cheek. "But, hey, we'll see each other again. I mean, you're going to be a warrior in twenty years or so. I'm sure we'll cross paths..." Andie had a thought. "I wonder if you'll remember me...anyway." She looked back down at the sleepy infant. Then she leant into the crib and kissed him on the head. "I'm gonna miss you." She kissed him again. "I love you."

When Andie had said goodbye to Miley and headed out the door, she felt an overwhelming urge to run back inside and grab Charlie. _Screw rationality_, she said to herself, _he's my baby._ But then her more sensible side won out; telling her that there was no way she could take care of him; not like his grandmother could. Andie had so many issues in her own life to work out; there was no way she could take on another person's; no matter how unbelievably adorable they might be. So instead Andie just descended the front staircase and left the manor. She head back down the path towards the car. Looking up she noticed Sam sleeping in the passengers' seat, his head resting on the window. Dean was outside the car, resting against the trunk waiting for Andie. He pushed off the car as she neared him.

"You okay?" He asked concernedly as Andie stopped in front of him.

Andie sighed. "I will be."

"You ready to get going?" Dean asked, thinking that this was it; if she was going to leave she'd do it now. He braced himself for the answer.

Andie nodded sadly. "Yeah." She said, taking a few more steps forward.

"Let's go." Dean slung an arm over her shoulder and led her to the car. He held up his seat for her so she could climb in the back. She sat staring out the window as Dean drove off and they headed out of town.

A few hours later they were heading South, away from Chicago, and stopped at a motel for the night. They silently drifted apart and went off to do their own thing for the evening.

Sam was sitting in the front office of the motel because it was the only place he could get internet access. He was researching some leads on possible ways to get Dean out of his life-ending contract. Sam grabbed his shoulder bag to get his USB but came across something else. One of Charlie's stuffed animals; a tiny monkey. Sam had bought it for him as a present when he started walking. Sam smiled to himself and held the toy in front of his eyes.

Andie was still in their motel room. She was lucky enough to get her own bed in this place. She was sorting through her clothes to find what needed to be washed when she came across an item of clothing that wasn't her own. It was one of Charlie's little t-shirts. Andie had bought it from an unorthodox souvenir store that specialized in families that were not the norm, same-sex parents, single parents, etc. So most of the infant items said things like "I make my mummies proud" or "Multi-racial is the ONLY way". Andie had bought this shirt for Charlie purely because of the slogan on the front "My blended family loves me." Andie sat cross-legged on her bed and felt the shirt between her fingers. She drew it up to her nose and breathed in Charlie's intoxicating baby smell; missing being able to hold that little boy in her arms.

Dean was at the bar on his own. He'd been sitting there by himself for awhile, dismissing the advances of the few women that came over to talk to him. He just wanted to be alone. He ordered another beer and got out his wallet to pay. He removed a twenty from his wallet and something else fell out along with it. It was the strip of photographs from the fair the week before when Andie, Dean and Sam had taken the day off. Dean and Andie had split the photos between them. The one Dean stared at was his favourite. Andie was rolling her eyes and smiling, Charlie was laughing from Andie's lap and reaching his hand up to her and Dean was kissing Andie's cheek. Dean ran his thumb over the picture and smiled sadly to himself.

All three of them were in different places doing different things; but they were all thinking the same thought at that moment; would they ever see Charlie again?


	17. Chapter 17: Beginning

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

**Day 58**

'Beginning'

Sam had made up his mind. Charlie was safe now so that was behind them; now he was going to set his mind on saving Dean. He didn't care about all the demons they had let out of hell anymore; Dean's time was running out and Sam had made no progress in breaking Dean's deal. And his brother wasn't at all helpful. Anytime Sam even brought it up he'd be shot down by Dean saying something along the lines of "_If you break this deal then _you_ die, Sammy, and I'm not gonna let you do that_." And what annoyed Sam even more was that Dean refused to let Andie in on the secret. If Sam even mentioned it; saying how helpful she might be, Dean became incredibly annoyed that Sam had even brought it up. Andie had been fighting demons since she was born with her mother in Australia; who knows what kind of information she had? She also had her mother's diary which, as far as Sam knew, contained only information and rituals about demons. She was very private about it and never read it while Sam and Dean were around; but then again, Sam had never actually asked her about it. The point was that she could have the solution. Dean didn't see it this way and practically forbid Sam to say anything to her. Seeing as Sam hadn't really researched for another solution, he'd been going along with what Dean asked. At least for now.

So that was why Sam was up at three am in the motel on his laptop compiling information on possible solutions to the problem. So far it wasn't going so well but Sam refused to give up. He glanced up over the top of his laptop screen at Dean; sleeping soundly half on, half-off his bed. Andie was on the rollaway bed beside him huddled up in a ball with her brown hair completely covering her face. Sam enjoyed having Andie around; she sort of balanced out Dean's shortcomings. It was like having a sister. Although she acted very brotherly towards Sam.

Sam sighed as he scrolled down another page on his laptop; he felt like he'd been reading the same information for ages. Though this was probably more true then he realized. Resting his chin in his hand and clicking on another internet page, Sam felt his eyes grow heavier and heavier. He barely realized he'd closed them before he was off to sleep.

As the three of them were sleeping so soundly; none of them noticed the woman appear at the front door. She seemed to just walk in out of nowhere. She was young but had age in her eyes. Her hair was long and sandy blonde. She glanced around the room at the three sleeping bodies before retrieving a vial the size of a test tube from the back of her tight jeans. She clicked off the lid and released what appeared to be a deep purple smoke cloud in front of her. The smoke rose and loosely formed the transparent figure of a man.

"Don't make me sorry I brought you back from hell." The young blonde said in a low voice. Then she nodded her head towards the sleepers.

The smoke dispersed into a round tunnel like form and floated swiftly over towards Andie's rollaway bed. It hovered above her for a few moments before lowering completely over her form and absorbing into her body. Andie twitched slightly in her sleep; but did not wake. Dean snorted loudly; startling the blonde woman. She glanced at Dean and rolled her eyes. "Humans." She muttered. "So gross." Then she disappeared as quickly as she'd arrived.

**xxx**

When Dean awoke later that morning he found Sam slumped across his laptop keyboard at the kitchen table. Dean threw bits of scrunched up paper at his brother as his preferred method of waking him up.

"What?" Sam asked irritably as he lifted his heavy head off the table.

"Rise and shine, Sammy." Dean walked passed him and slapped him on the back. "We gotta get outta here if we wanna get outta Illinois today." He headed into the kitchen to retrieve last night's Chinese food for breakfast.

Sam yawned hugely and stretched his arms. His laptop had gone into standby mode so he just shut it and headed into the kitchen after his brother.

Dean was smelling a paper container with a confused look on his face. He held the food out to Sam. "What was this?"

The smell caught Sam before he even saw what it was. "Oh god." He covered his mouth.

"Huh…okay then." Dean tossed the carton. "But that's all we got." He sighed. "Ooh, I saw a pancake place on the way in here! I'll go get us some stuff; you two be ready to leave when I get back." Dean clapped Sam on the shoulder and headed out of the kitchen.

Sam watched after his brother. He was being oddly considerate lately. Pretty much ever since they'd dropped baby Charlie home. Sam had the suspicion it was because Andie had decided to stick around. They hadn't talked about bringing her along with them; she'd just come along. It was as though she'd been there from the start.

Dean shrugged on his coat and glanced at Andie, flat on her back with one arm over the edge of the bed. "Morgan; I'm getting food." He told her even though she was asleep. "Get your fine self packed by the time I get back." He only dared say something like that to Andie when she was unconscious; that telekinetic power of hers was a bitch if you were on the receiving end of it.

While Dean was out Sam showered, dressed and packed up his computer. He didn't want to wake Andie. Since they'd taken Charlie home she'd had trouble sleeping, she still automatically woke up at his feeding times and was always tired throughout the day. So since she was sleeping Sam wanted to make sure she stayed that way. Instead, Sam quietly packed his stuff and before he knew it, Dean was back with his arms loaded full of pancakes.

Dean dumped breakfast on the table and left Sam to sort through it as he went back to Andie. It was almost eleven; she didn't usually sleep this late. In fact Dean found it hard to recall a time she'd ever slept longer then he did. Wandering back into the bedroom slash living room Dean noticed that Andie was lying in exactly the same position then when they'd left. And Dean had been woken enough times to know that Andie was a 'tosser' when it came to sleeping habits.

"Andie, breakfast." Dean said in his normal voice from the end of her bed. She didn't move. "Morgan; shift it." He said louder. She still didn't respond. For the first time Dean noticed the weird expression on her face. She looked so…blank. "Andie?" Dean hurried over to the side of her bed and leant over her. "Andie?" He shook her shoulders a little. "Andie!"

Sam came into the room finishing up a blueberry pancake. He immediately began to worry when he saw Dean shaking Andie. "What's wrong?"

"She's not waking up." Dean said hurriedly. "Andie!" He shook her harder. She stirred. Dean paused; wondering if he'd imagined it. But Andie moved even more, squinting her eyes and tossing as though she was just waking up. "Andie, its Dean." Dean said putting his hand on the side of her face.

"I know." She muttered irritably. "Why are you yelling at me?" she opened her eyes and proceeded to scowl at Dean.

"You-you weren't waking up." Dean tried to explain as Andie pulled herself up into a sitting position.

"Well, you saw to that, didn't you?" Andie glowered. "Ooh, we have pancakes?" Andie's eyes fell on the plate in Sam's hand. "Gimme."

Dean sighed with relief. Normal Morning Andie behaviour. But he couldn't shake the feeling that something else was going on. Andie, along with being a 'tosser', was also a light sleeper. Dean watched her carefully as they ate, packed the car and checked out of the motel but nothing out of the ordinary happened so Dean had no choice but to let it go.

By the time they crossed the boarder into Indiana it was late and the Impala needed fuel so in the next town they passed, Danville, Dean pulled into the gas station to fill up. Andie had fallen asleep in the back of the car and Sam was immersed in one of the old books he'd bought a couple of weeks before from the fair they'd taken Charlie to so Dean headed filled up the car and went inside on his own. He was loading up on candy bars when he overheard a conversation with two women in line.

"All day, you said?" the brunette woman asked her red-headed friend.

The red-head nodded. "She called 9-1-1 she was so scared. I mean, who sleeps for twenty-four hours straight?" she shook her head.

"Well, he does enjoy a drink." The brunette brought up.

"Yeah, but the doctor's said it wasn't a drunk thing." The red-head continued. "Apparently they couldn't find anything wrong with him." She shook her head. "I'll tell you one thing; whatever it was, it's changed him. I was over there for lunch last week; the guy wouldn't even look at me."

"Next!" The elderly man behind the counter called to the two women. They stopped gossiping and paid for their gas.

Dean followed suit and paid for the gas and copious amount of candy before heading back out to the car. Sam was still reading and Andie was still sleeping. Dean glanced at her in the back seat and watched her a moment. Then he turned around. "Andie? Andie!" He yelled.

Andie awoke to Dean's yells. "What?" She grumbled sleepily.

Dean grinned and waved a chocolate bar in front of her face. "Candy?" he tossed it at her.

**xxx**

That night Andie dreamt in a way she hadn't dreamt in awhile. Since she nine, Andie's dreams had centred on the same theme; her mother's suicide. It had been Andie who had discovered her body when she came home from school. And that event had played over at least once a night since the day it happened. But this night was different; it was almost as if she was in her own dream.

_The scene of finding her mother's body was playing out and Andie was watching it. But not from her subconscious; she was standing right there in the room. She could see herself. Then all of a sudden the scene switched and Andie was standing alone in a black space. A white glow appeared from far away. As it neared Andie realized it was a person walking towards her surrounded by a beautiful white light. Andie recognized who it was as she came clearer into view. Straight, dark brown hair, watery blue eyes, pale white skin; all of Andie's distinguishing features stared back at her with that warm, maternal smile the young woman remembered so well. She was looking at her mother, Lily. _

"_I miss you, Andie." She said in an angelic voice. _

Andie awoke with a start. Never, in sixteen years, had Andie dreamt like that. Never had her mother spoken to her so...directly. It felt as though she had been right there, saying it to Andie's face. It had felt so real.

"Andie?" Dean's low voice came from his bed as he lifted his head. "You ok?"

"Yeah, fine." She whispered back. "Go back to sleep." She heard his head slump back down on his pillows so she turned over with her back to both brothers and curled up into a ball.


	18. Chapter 18: Coincidence

**CHAPTER EIGHTTEEN**

**Day 59**

'Coincidence'

"_I miss you, Andie."_

"Andie!"

Andie awoke with Dean yelling her name over the top of her once again, concern very evident in his eyes. She'd had that same dream with her mother appearing as a glow again. "What?" She asked Dean innocently as she yawned and stretched.

"I couldn't wake you." Dean sat down on Andie's bed. "I've been trying for like ten minutes."

"Oh, please." Andie rolled her eyes. Dean did tend to over exaggerate. She glanced at the clock. It was nearing eleven in the morning. She remembered falling asleep around nine the night before so she's had a good, long sleep. Yet she was still tired. Thus the irony of over-sleeping. Andie pulled herself up into a sitting position, hoping Dean would just drop it. But he wouldn't be Dean if he didn't pry.

"Are you sure you're ok?" He asked, reaching out to feel the temperature of her forehead.

Andie brushed Dean off her. "I'm fine. Just getting used to life without Charlie." She covered. And that wasn't a total lie; it was hard to adjust not having that baby around anymore. Add onto that the fact that she missed the little bugger and now these weird dreams about her mother, and oversleeping made perfect sense to Andie.

Dean was still concerned. "I think you should-"

"Dean." Andie stopped him. "I'm _fine_. Really."

**xxx**

At that moment further into town, Sam was picking up a few things they needed for the road. The department store was quite large but there were very few people inside. A number of staff members seemed at a loss of what to do. Sam noted this to the teller when he was paying for his items.

"Is it always this dead?" Sam asked the guy about his own age who was behind the cash register.

"Last coupla days, yeah." The kid replied. "Some kinda weird flu; people ain't getting outta bed."

Sam nodded slowly; the kid seemed like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world right now then standing there talking to a customer. So Sam just paid for his things and headed back to the motel. In Dean's ultra-happy-Andie's-staying mood he'd agreed to let Sam take the Impala on his own with the stipulation that he return within an hour.

On his way home Sam noticed a distinct drop in the number of people around. This town had all the makings of a buzzing district but lacking the buzz. There were very few people on the road and only the occasional jogger or mother with a stroller on the footpath. It was eerie.

**xxx**

After a long shower, Andie came out of the bathroom in a clean pair of jeans and a slate gray t-shirt and headed back to the bedroom. She unsuccessfully stifled a big yawn and Dean spotted her.

"You're tired?" He asked her incredulously.

Andie waved a hand at him. "It's just a yawn."

"I don't think so." Dean countered.

Andie sighed loudly. "Well, what _do_ you think?"

"I think you're sick." Dean said simply.

"I'm fine!" Andie was very quickly losing patience.

"You're not _fine._" Dean replied.

"I oversleep for two days and you get like this?!" Andie yelled angrily. "What's the matter with you?!"

Dean suddenly realized Andie had turned the conversation away from her and onto him. "Can you hear what you're saying?"

"What's going on in here?" Sam asked confusedly as he entered the room and eyed Andie and Dean in a stand off. He was used to seeing them bicker but only rarely did they ever scream at each other like they were now.

"Nothing." Andie answered as she turned back into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

Dean sighed and hung his head. Then he looked at Sam who had his eyebrows raised expectantly. "Something." Dean muttered.

Andie washed her face and tried to calm down. She hadn't meant to lose her temper like that. Dean was just concerned about her. Concerned for what reason Andie didn't know. But Dean kept swimming around in her mind. This made Andie uneasy; she had only known Dean for a few months; barely that, and now he was stuck in her head. She didn't like it when people invaded her thoughts like that.

Suddenly, Andie felt a warm glow cover her body from her head to her toes; a heat that made her shiver. Then it left her body as quickly as it came. Andie shook slightly and felt a little light-headed. She bent over the sink to wet the back of her neck; she assumed tiredness was kicking in and planned to head back to her rollaway bed.

"Hello, Andrea." A soft voice said behind her.

Andie knew whose voice that was before she even turned around. Swiveling slowly, Andie gasped. Straight, dark brown hair, watery blue eyes, pale white skin; all of Andie's distinguishing features were right here in front of her face. The mirror image of what Andie would look like in twenty years or so. And that beautiful smile.

"Lily?" Andie breathed as she recognized the woman.

Andie's mother was standing in the bathroom.


	19. Chapter 19: Real Reality

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

**Day 59 continued**

'Real Reality'

"Don't be scared." Andie's mother said immediately. "I'm not here to hurt you."

Andie couldn't believe it. It had been almost fifteen years since her mother, Lily Morgan, had been found dead in their family home. And now, here she was. Living, breathing and talking. She wasn't transparent or glowing; so Andie knew she wasn't a ghost or a vision. She was human. But that was impossible. "Ghosts glow." Andie muttered wide-eyed. "You're not glowing."

Lily smiled. "I'm not a ghost, Andrea."

Lily was the only person in the world who called Andie by her full name. It had annoyed Andie intensely as a child so in return, she wouldn't call her mum; she called her by her first name; Lily.

Andie felt tears in her eyes. "You're dead." She said blatantly.

"I know." She smiled sadly. "But I wanted to see you."

"Why?" Andie's voice shook as she spoke.

"I missed you." Lily said seriously taking a step closer to her daughter.

The door to the bathroom opened suddenly and Dean walked in. He glanced around the otherwise empty bathroom. "You talkin' to somebody?"

Andie stared at the now empty spot where Lily had been standing. Her mother was gone. _It was a dream_, Andie told herself immediately. She'd been seeing her mother dressed just the same and saying the same thing (_'I missed you'_) in her dreams and now…it was a day dream. Not real. Her mother was dead; she couldn't have been there; speaking to her. It was all in her head. "Just myself." Andie answered Dean's question. She then walked past him out of the bathroom.

Barely twenty minutes later; Andie was reading through her mother's diary on her rollaway bed. Sam and Dean were on the balcony talking inaudibly. They did this once a week or so and it always seemed to end with Dean storming off in a huff. Andie didn't ask what they were talking about; she figured it they wanted her opinion they'd ask for it so she just let them be.

Turning another page in the diary, Andie ran her fingers over the words etched in the paper. The words written by her mother. From what Andie remembered, Lily had started writing in this diary when she was eighteen and had just left home. Her own mother, Beth, had been a demon hunter as well. She'd possessed the same telekinesis as both Lily and Andie did, but was a very strict woman. Andie had never met her; she'd died before she was born. But Lily would often speak of her, reminding Andie of how different they were as mothers. Where Beth was a disciplinarian, Lily was a free spirit, preferring to let Andie do what she pleased rather then tell her what to do. This resulted in many of the problems that caused Andie and Lily to be very different people.

There were a few random mentions of Beth in the diary; she was always referred to as 'mother' never mum or mama or anything tender. The diary contained every demon Lily had ever faced and defeated. Although towards the end it became darker; filled with Lily's thoughts of missing her husband, Jason, and not being able to raise a rebelling daughter by herself. Andie's father had died soon after she was born; she didn't remember him all that well. Lily used to tell Andie thousands of stories about him. But in the year before her suicide, Lily became so depressed that the mere mention of his name sent her into a fit of hysterical tears. As a young girl, Andie hadn't really understood what was happening to her mother. But she knew the reason why; it was because of her. Now as an adult Andie reasoned this away as a childish thought; but back then it had made so much sense. Lily and Andie never go on; they weren't close. Anytime they spoke it resulted in a fight; even when Andie was five and six years old she could still scream her lungs out. When her mother killed herself Andie believed it was because she had been such an awful daughter. And although she tried to dismiss that; even at her current age she felt guilty.

---

Out on the balcony, Sam was trying once again to convince Dean that letting Andie in on his secret would be a positive for them. "Dean; she could help." Sam said in a low voice so Andie wouldn't hear. "She knows more about demons then we do, she's telekinetic; she knows things."

"I don't want her knowing." Dean said firmly.

"Why?" Sam asked bewilderedly. "She could know something, anything. There might be a spell in that diary or a way to break the deal-"

"She doesn't need to know." Dean interrupted.

"Why not?" Sam was on the verge of grabbing Dean and physically knocking sense into him. "Why are you so afraid to tell her?"

"I'm not afraid." Dean countered immediately.

Sam sighed. "Look, I know you like her but-"

"It's not about that!" Dean yelled. Then he lowered his voice. "Look, Sammy...this was _my _choice." Dean told his brother. "This is _my_ burden. Not Andie's. Not yours. This is done; you can't change it. And if you can't see that then I can't help you." Dean got to his feet and went back into the motel room.

Sam leant back in his chair. "You're right." He muttered to himself. "You can't help me."

Coming back into the motel, the first thing Dean noticed was that Andie was asleep again. She was sitting up on her bed with her back against the wall but she was definitely asleep. Her mother's diary lay closed in her lap. Dean sighed as he watched her sleep. Something wasn't right; he felt it deep in his heart.

Andie was in the midst of another dream. And Lily was there again.

_Andie stood only a few feet from her mother._

"_What are you doing?" Andie asked quietly._

"_I wanted to see you." Lily told her with a warm smile. "I_ needed_ to see you."_

"_Why?" Andie asked with tears prickling behind her eyes._

"_Andie, I'm worried about you." Lily said seriously. "This life…it's too dangerous."_

"_I know what I'm doing." Andie told her._

"_So did I." Lily countered._

_Andie paused. "What are you saying?" she asked confusedly._

"_I was once where you are, Andie." Lily said. "Young, on my own, reckless and powerful. Dangerous combination."_

"_Are you saying I'm going to kill myself?" Andie asked, bewildered. _

"_I wouldn't have believed it either when I was your age." Lily told her solemnly. "But life was so hard-"_

"_I'm not you!" Andie yelled so loudly she shocked herself. "I'M NOT YOU!"_

"Andie!" Dean screamed in her face.

Andie blinked a few times and realized she was no longer lying down. She was standing up and holding Dean against the wall by his shoulders. He looked utterly confused. Andie released her tight grip on him and felt his arms on her shoulders; holding her back. He was breathing heavily.

Dean looked at Andie seriously. "You are _not_ fine."

**xxx**

"Look; I'm sorry I grabbed you and all but it was _just_ a _dream_." Andie chorused as she made herself a cup of coffee. Dean and Sam were standing on the other side of the kitchen looking concerned. Andie's scarily real nightmare had occurred over an hour ago and the more she awoke, the more she felt like it was _just a dream_. Well; it was, technically. Her mother hadn't appeared in the bathroom again. And the more time that passed made Andie start to think that she hadn't really seen her mother after all.

"That was not a dream, Morgan." Dean told her shaking his head. "You're eyes were wide open and you were screaming at me. Screaming "I'm not you"." He paused. "What were you dreaming about?"

_My dead mother is haunting me,_ Andie answered in her head. But there was no way she'd tell them that; they'd think she was crazy. And it was nothing Andie couldn't handle by herself. "I don't remember."

"Yeah, like hell." Dean scoffed.

"The guy I spoke to at the store said there's some kinda weird flu around; keeping people in bed." Sam spoke up.

"There you go." Andie said to Dean; gesturing at Sam as she did so. "I have a weird town flu; it'll pass." She looked Dean dead in the eye. "Let it go." And with that she left the room; hot coffee in hand.

"I'll look on the internet." Sam spoke up. "There may be something behind this flu thing." He left the kitchen and went to get his laptop.

Andie was going through her shoulder bag at the table when Sam came in. His laptop was beside her bag. He said something about getting better reception outside and headed out the door. She heard another door shut and then the shower start; Dean was in the bathroom. The showers in this motel had army grade water pressure; she didn't blame him for going back for seconds. She planned on doing the same. But first she needed to find her mother's diary. She couldn't find it in her bag. Then she remembered she'd had it before she'd fallen asleep. Andie turned around to her bed and, sure enough, her mother's diary half tucked under her pillow. Andie retrieved it and when she turned around she almost screamed.

Lily was standing before her again.

"Not a good time, Lily." Andie muttered in a low voice, glancing outside at Sam. He had his back to her and didn't seem to notice anything.

"Andrea." Lily started.

Andie walked closer to her. "The guys are right next door; I don't want them to find out about you." She whispered.

"Why not?" Lily asked curiously; furrowing her brow.

"Because they'd think I was crazy." Andie said simply, tucking the diary back into her shoulder bag. "Hell; _I_ think I'm crazy."

"I don't care about them; I care about you and what you're doing to yourself." Lily said cautiously.

Andie stopped what she was doing. "That's what you said in my dream."

Lily nodded.

"It was real." Andie realized.

"It's the only way I knew how to contact you." Lily explained. "And see how accepting you are? You're not even-"

Andie hung her head. "I can't do this." She said.

"Do what, Andrea?" Lily asked.

"Have you, Sam and Dean all here at the same time." Andie said, her voice volume increasing slightly. "I'm talking to a dead woman; even to them that'd be strange."

"Are you ashamed of me?" Lily asked; a hurt look on her face. "I'm only trying to help."

Andie sighed. "It's not like that, Lily. It's just…me and these guys…we don't keep secrets like this from each other; it's too dangerous." She paused. "But I can't tell them about you." She added exasperatedly.

Out on the balcony; Sam's ears picked up on something from inside the motel. He heard Andie's voice and assumed she was bickering with Dean again. He realized his big brother didn't seem to be putting up much of a fight; Sam could only hear Andie's side of the conversation. "It's not that easy." She was saying. "They _would_ understand; I promise. They might be able to help us." It sounded to Sam more like she was on the phone. But who would she be calling? "I don't want to lie to them, Lily."

Curiously got the better of Sam so he got up and went back inside. Andie looked up at him as though he'd caught her doing something illegal. Sam glanced around; Dean wasn't there. He could hear his brother's dulcet tones from the bathroom singing a verse of ACDC's Back In Black. Sam looked back at Andie; she wasn't holding her cell phone. "Who were you talking to?" Sam asked her casually.

"Oh, no one. Just myself, y'know?" Andie lied nervously. She wandered back and picked up her shoulder bag when something fell out of the open zip. A long silver chain with an oval locket attached. The locket fell at Sam's feet.

Sam picked up the necklace before Andie could snatch it up and noticed an inscription on the outside of the locket. They were initials. "Who is L.M.?"

"Lily Morgan; my mother." Andie answered quickly; hoping he'd drop it. She took the locket out of Sam's hands and pocketed it. She looked up at Sam. "You need something?"

"Oh, I, ah…forget my USB." Sam lied.

Andie nodded. "I'm going for a walk." She told him.

Then she was out the door before Sam could say another word.

**xxx**


	20. Chapter 20: Messed Up

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

**Day 59 continued**

'Messed Up'

Andie didn't know where she was so wandering around town probably wasn't the smartest idea. Add to that the fact that no one was around to ask for directions and Andie felt completely lost. She came into town just as the sun was setting and saw the signs for the library blinking that they were still open. Thinking that a librarian was almost bound by oath to help people she head inside to find her way back to the motel.

The librarian was a young woman with frizzy brown hair and she was talking with a customer who was apparently having some issues with a book she wanted to get out. Andie waved a little to get her attention. "Hey; just wondering if you knew-"

"In a minute; wait over there." The frizzy one snapped, jerking her head towards a selection of couches around the corner. Then she went back to the unhappy library go-er.

"Thank you!" Andie replied loudly. Then she headed towards the couches. As she sat down she realized this was probably not a good idea. She'd been walking for awhile…she was tired…the couch was _incredibly_ comfortable…and Dean wasn't here to scream her awake. Andie lifted her shoulder bag up as a pillow and was asleep in seconds.

"_Andrea." Lily greeted her almost immediately after she closed her eyes. _

"_Why are you haunting me?" Andie asked._

"_I'm your mother." Lily said seriously. _

"_You've been dead for fifteen years." Andie reminded her. "And you've never appeared like this in my dreams before." She paused. "I only dream about the day you died."_

_Lily lowered her head. "I am sorry you are the one who found me."_

"_Why did you do it?" Andie asked, her voice quivering. She hated when that happened. She'd start a sentence completely fine and be in tears by the end of it._

_Lily shook her head slowly. "My life was hard; Andrea." She explained. "It just became too much."_

"_I was so horrible to you." Andie said shakily._

_Lily simply looked down; but didn't respond. _

"_Andrea." She said eventually. "I don't want you to end up where I am."_

"_I'm not like you." Andie said immediately. _

"_You are more like me then you realize; sweetheart." Lily told her solemnly. _

_Andie swallowed hard. "So is that it?" she asked almost sarcastically. "Are you gonna just leave now?"_

"_No." Lily smiled. "I'm going to stay with you; always."_

"_Miss? Hey; wake up. We're closing." A high pitched voice rang in Andie's ear. She felt a hand shake her shoulder. "Miss?"_

_Lily disappeared as Andie opened her eyes. _

"Wha…?" Andie asked sleepily. She sat up; remembering she was in the public library.

"We're closing." The frizzy haired librarian stated matter-of-factly; as if it was a crime Andie wasn't aware of this.

"Oh, ok." Andie muttered. "Can you tell me where the Huntley motel is?"

"Two blocks North." The frizzy girl spat before turning and heading away to turn off the lights.

"Lovely gal." Andie mumbled to herself. She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She heard a tinkling sound and realized the locket had dropped from her bag again. She reached down and picked it up. It was really a beautiful piece of jewelry. Lily had been wearing it when they found her; Andie's father had given it to her for their first anniversary. It was sterling silver and the locket had a ruby in the centre of it. L.M. was inscribed on the back of it. It was all Andie really had of her mother; all she had brought with her from Australia, anyway. The locket and the diary were the easiest things to carry.

"We're _closed._" The frizzy haired girl sung from one of the aisles.

"Oh, you're _closed_." Andie yelled back overzealously. "I had _no_ idea." She stuffed the locket in her pocket and headed out of the library.

**xxx**

"Dean; I found something." Sam called to his brother as he came back in off the balcony. It was well into the night by now. He found his brother moping in bed flipping through TV channels. Sam put his computer across Dean's lap. "I think we were right about this killer flu thing. And that means the whole town could be infected.

Dean shut of the TV and looked at Sam's computer. It was a website depicting a picture of a hideous looking creature ironically called a Night Mare. "A Night Mare? Serious?"

"This says that the Night Mare infects human souls in their sleep and feeds off them; which is why they keep sleeping." Sam explained. "It's eating away at the soul is what causes the change in behaviour of the victim."

"Wait; this says the Night Mare was defeated over a thousand years ago." Dean read from the laptop screen.

"Right." Sam agreed. "But who knows what we let outta hell, right?"

Dean sat up straighter; paying attention now. "This is what's got Andie?"

"Well; I think so." Sam told him. "It's the only demon I could find that affects masses of people."

Shutting the laptop, Dean stood up; ready to fight. "How do we kill it?"

"Well; the way it was done before was by stopping it mid soul buffet." Sam told Dean.

"So we gotta catch it sucking out some poor sap's soul to get rid of the son of a bitch?" Dean reiterated. "Sounds good."

"Reckon Andie'll be a willing guinea pig?" Sam raised his eyebrows.

"Course she will." Dean told him. "Cos she ain't gonna know what we're doing."

**xxx**

Andie walked through the door to the motel at about nine that evening completely exhausted. Sure, the frizzy haired librarian had been right; the motel was two blocks away. But she didn't specify the epic distance between the blocks. Dying for a cold drink Andie crashed kind of loudly into the motel room. Sam and Dean were already asleep. As she went and grabbed a glass of water, she thought this slightly weird; it wasn't even nine and the motel room had cable TV; who would sleep? But she was exhausted herself so she just kicked off her shoes and flopped onto her rollaway bed. She was asleep within seconds.

Dean counted through ten gruelingly long minutes before he dared get up from his bed. He wanted to make sure Andie was asleep. According to all the information Sam could find on the internet, the Night Mare sucked out a piece of the victim's soul every night until eventually they no longer woke up. Dean kicked Sam awake and the two of them got into position around Andie's bed.

"Hey; does it freak you out that a creepy-ass demon has been watching us sleep?" Dean asked Sam from his place at the end of Andie's bed.

Sam shrugged. "Kinda."

"Why didn't it come after us?" Dean asked. "Why Andie?"

"I dunno." Sam answered. "I couldn't find a motive anywhere; maybe it just liked her." _Like someone else I know, _he wanted to add. Instead he held his tongue; it wasn't worth getting into an argument.

After an hour and a half of standing and waiting for something to appear; Dean had moved the comfy chair in front of Andie's bed and was resting his head in his hand on the arm while Sam had taken refuge on Dean's bed.

Dean didn't realize he was dozing off until he was brought back to life by Andie's voice. He opened his eyes and realized she was mumbling in her sleep.

"Why are you here?" She said almost inaudibly. "I'm fine, Lily. You don't have to stay."

_Lily?_ Dean asked himself. He had no idea who that was. And he'd never heard Andie mention the name before. He made a mental note to ask her in the morning. His eyes felt incredibly heavy so he gave in and closed them.

An hour and no demon later, all three of them were sound asleep.

**xxx**

When Andie sat up the next morning she almost laughed. Dean was sleeping at the end of her bed with his head hanging limply over the side of a lounge chair while Sam was out of it, fully clothed, on the end of Dean's bed. She knew they had been watching her sleep but she wasn't sure why. She shuffled down to the end of her bed and leant in towards Dean.

"Dean!!!" She screamed loudly.

Dean jumped out of his chair. Andie started laughing. Dean realized he'd been the victim of one of Andie's hilarious jokes. "You're funny." He mumbled.

"I know!" Andie said through giggles.

"What's goin' on?" Sam asked, sleepily lifting his head.

"Go back to sleep." Andie told him, tossing a pillow in his direction. Sam groaned, rolled over and tucked the pillow under his head.

Dean rubbed his head. "Well; you're in a good mood."

"Good sleep." Andie told him, stretching as she got to her feet.

Dean eyed Andie as she stretched; the fabric of her shifted upwards as she raised her arms exposing a few inches of her flat stomach. He heard Andie mutter something but he wasn't really listening.

"Dean?" she said through a yawn.

"Huh?" He asked; snapping back to attention.

"Why were you watching me sleep?" Andie repeated.

"Sam and I found a demon." He told her, quickly explaining everything he knew about the Night Mare.

Andie watched Dean for a moment after he finished talking; he'd never said anything to _her_ about being infected by a demon. Was that why she was seeing her mother? Was it all a demonic side effect? "When were you planning on telling me I was possessed?" Andie asked, growing more annoyed by the second.

Dean thought carefully about his answer. "When we killed it." He told her meekly.

Andie scoffed. "Well; that'd be right; wouldn't it?" she snapped. "You just take control of everything, don't you?"

"Whoa, whoa; woman, calm it down. I'm trying to save your life!" Dean snapped back, getting to his feet.

"My life doesn't need saving!" She yelled. "And don't call me woman!"

"Andie; you've been infected; you need to let us help you!"

"I'm FINE!" She threw her hands up at Dean. The next thing she knew he was flying through the air and smacking back against the wall; hard. She'd used her power on him; and she hadn't meant to.

Sam jumped to his feet when he heard the crash. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" He screamed at Andie as he hurried over to Dean.

Andie could do nothing but watch as Sam helped his brother get back on his feet. They both looked at her, expectantly waiting on an answer. She didn't have one. Andie looked at Dean sorrowfully. "I'm sorry." She muttered under her breath. Then she took off and sought refuge in the bathroom; tears in her eyes.


	21. Chapter 21: Overload

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

**Day 59 continued**

"Overload" 

Andie was leaning over the sink breathing heavily. She hadn't used her power in awhile; it must've been pent up. And she was angry; emotional. That's why she'd done it. That's why she'd attacked Dean. That's why she told herself she did it, anyway. She had never used her power like that before; never, in all her life. Even as a rebellious child she always knew her limits. Maybe Dean was right; maybe there was something wrong with her.

"Andrea." Lily's voice called to her.

Andie snapped around. "Lily." She breathed when she saw her mother standing before her.

"Hello again, sweetheart." Lily said with a smile.

"I'm not dreaming, am I?" Andie asked; even though she already knew the answer.

"No, darling." She paused. "What happened?"

"What do you mean?" Andie asked.

"With your power." Lily asked. "You used it on Dean."

Fresh tears appeared in Andie's eyes. "I know." She mumbled. "I didn't mean to, I was just…angry."

Lily nodded knowledgably. "Andrea; that's how it starts."

"How what starts?" Andie asked.

"The downward spiral." Lily told her. "I was the same; I never used my power on anyone other then demons. Then once when I was about your age my boyfriend was unfaithful and I lost it."

Andie swallowed. "I'm not you." She whispered.

**xxx**

"Dean; look at this." Sam said to his brother. He'd flicked on the TV to check the weather and a news bulletin was blaring on the screen.

Dean was checking over his injuries going to be bruised in the morning and he knew it. But right now he wasn't bleeding at all; he was mainly worried about Andie. She hadn't come out of the bathroom yet. He glanced at the closed door before looking at the TV.

"Once again; for those who've just joined us, local librarian Cheryl Madison was found in a coma this morning at the public library." The news reporter was saying. "She was taken to the hospital and is confirmed to be conscious but still in a serious condition."

Andie exited the bathroom when she heard the words 'librarian' and 'coma' in the same sentence. When she saw the TV she almost groaned. They were showing a picture of Cheryl; it was the same frizzy haired bitch Andie had met the night before. "Oh, god." She muttered.

"What?" Sam asked.

She told them all about the night before. "So that Night Mare got to her?" Andie finished up.

"Looks like it." Dean answered monotonously; still hurting from his attack.

"But she's not in a coma." Sam brought up. "They said they brought her back. Which means that the demon will come back for her tonight."

"Great; then that's where we'll find it." Andie resolved.

"No; that's where _we'll_ find it." Dean said, standing up to her.

"What?" She asked.

"You attacked me for no reason; you're sleeping like crazy and you're attitude is off the map." Dean recited in a very big brother-ish tone. "You're staying here."

"That sounds like an order." Andie folded her arms.

"It is." Dean spat back firmly.

Andie squared her jaw. "Is this cos I hit you?" She asked playfully.

"Yeah; it is." Dean said back with no emotion.

"Fine." Andie spun around, went back into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Sam looked from the bathroom door to his brother. "That went well." He deadpanned.

**xxx**

Andie took a shower and got changed into another outfit that suited her mood; black jeans and a black tee with a silver eagle blazoned across the chest. She couldn't remember the last time she'd worn something colourful. And dresses? Forget about it. She was toweling off her hair one last time when that now familiar tone of her mother's voice sang through her ears.

"Don't tell me you don't see why I'm worried." Lily said concernedly to her daughter. "You know something's wrong."

Andie didn't know what to say. Was her mother right? Was she really going down that same destructive path? She definitely felt different. But she hadn't wanted to hurt Dean and it killed her that she'd used her power in such a way. "I don't want to hurt them." Andie said quietly; tears reappearing in her eyes. She was so emotional; she was never like this. "I don't know why I did that; I didn't want to hurt Dean."

"I know; Andrea." Lily told her calmly.

"I want to tell them." Andie asked suddenly. "I want to tell Dean and Sam about you."

"No; you mustn't." Lily said immediately.

"Why not?" Andie asked frustratedly.

"They wouldn't understand." Lily told her.

"Yes they would." Andie said confidently. "You don't know them; they're used to this. They can help us-"

"If you tell them about me I can never come back." Lily interrupted blatantly.

Andie was confused. "What?"

"It's part of the deal. I'm allowed to visit you; not them. Not anyone else." She said seriously.

"Great…so it's you or them?" Andie shook her head and sighed. "So what am I supposed to do?"

"There's only one thing you can do." Lily told her. "You have to choose."

Andie shook her head again. "I'm not gonna do that, Lily."

The bathroom door opened quickly and Dean stormed in. Andie jumped a little as he looked around the room. Then he looked back at her expectantly and held his arms out.

"Who were you talking to?" he asked wide-eyed.

"You were listening to me?" Andie asked bitterly.

"Damn right I was." Dean confirmed, not caring that it might upset her. Right now he was too worried. "What's going on?"

"I don't know what you're on about." Andie replied vacantly, turning her back to him.

Dean grabbed her shoulder and spun her back around. "Don't pull that crap with me; I know you too well." He snapped. "Who were you on the phone with?"

"I wasn't on the phone!" Andie yelled before she could stop herself.

Dean looked confused. He'd heard her speaking; heard her half of a conversation. He just assumed she'd been on her cell. "Who were you talking to?" Now he was really worried.

"Will you just leave me alone?" Andie asked; pushing past Dean.

"Who were you talking to?!" Dean yelled.

"It's none of your business; will you please just drop it?!" Andie yelled back.

"What the hell, guys?!" Sam yelled as he entered the bathroom. "What's goin' on?"

Andie jerked her head at Dean. "Ask him." She snapped at Sam before storming out of the bathroom.

Sam watched Andie as she left then looked back to Dean. "We gotta get to the hospital." Sam told his brother. "We kill the Night Mare; we save Andie."

"Yeah." Dean muttered. "Let's go."

**xxx**

Twenty minutes and two fine suits later, Sam and Dean were hiding out in the bathroom of Cheryl's room. They'd managed to con their way in passed Cheryl's family by posing as detectives from a very exclusive branch of the government. _"So exclusive no one's ever heard of it."_ Dean had told the Cheryl's mother. Now they were both simply waiting for the Night Mare to show itself.

Visiting hours had ended the hour before so now it was only a matter of time. Dean and Sam alternated looking through a crack in the door to keep and eye on Cheryl; it was Sam's turn. Dean leant against the sink and let his mind wander into thoughts of Andie. She'd stormed out of the motel once again and he didn't know where she was. He deliberated giving her a call; but knew she wouldn't answer. He shook himself off a little and tried to set his mind on work; if he killed this demon then Andie would be fine.

"Dean; something's going on." Sam whispered from the doorway.

Dean hurried over beside him and opened the door slightly. A deep red; almost black, smoke was circling around the floor at the end of Cheryl's bed. Out of the smoke rose a demon in a long, dark red coat. It was the Night Mare; Dean recognized it from the information Sam had found. Dean reached his back and retrieved the colt that he had packed away.

Sam opened the door slowly as the Night Mare leant over Cheryl's sleeping body. A horrible hissing sound emitted and a white glow seemed to float out of Cheryl's mouth and into the demon. With every breath of life it took; the demon's body glowed.

"Hello, beautiful." Dean said to the demon as he held the gun aimed at its head. The Night Mare immediately stopped sucking out Cheryl's soul and spun around to Dean. It cocked its head but didn't say anything. "Think fast." Dean shot the gun once into the Night Mare's chest. The demon crackled loudly; flashing white lights throughout the room. Dean grabbed Sam's arm and they ran for cover back into the bathroom as the demon exploded in a puff of red smoke. The second it disappeared; Cheryl awoke breathing heavily.

"What's going on?" She said, her eyes darting around the room.

Sam went over to her bed. "Cheryl; its okay now. You'll be okay."

"Sam; we gotta get outta here." Dean said hurriedly to his brother. A gun had gone off; it wouldn't be long until security was there.

"You'll be fine." Sam assured Cheryl before he and Dean cleared out of the room.

**xxx**

Dean entered the motel room loosening his tie; he really didn't mind his suit but after a day of killing demons it got a little uncomfortable. Andie was sitting on her bed when they came in and, as soon as she saw the guys come in; she took off for the bathroom again.

Sam watched her stalk off. "She's still pissed? But we killed the Night Mare." He looked to Dean angrily. "That was supposed to fix her!"

Dean shook his head, silently saying _'I don't know_". He thought for a moment. "Maybe something else is wrong."

"Like what?" Sam asked; frustrated.

"I don't know. But the more I think about it...the more her symptoms are different from everyone else's." Dean told his brother.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, furrowing his brow.

"I caught Andie talking to herself before we left." Dean told him. "I mean, she said she wasn't but I heard her. And none of the other victims did that."

Sam's eyes widened. "Yeah, I heard her too! Yesterday I heard her from the balcony; she was talking to someone in here." He gestured his surroundings.

Dean shook his head. "Something is wrong with her, Sammy." He said worriedly. "I mean _really_ wrong. And if it's not this Night Mare demon…"

"I know." Sam nodded. Then he had a thought. "We need to find out who she's talking to. Did you hear anyone else in the room?"

"No; just Andie." Dean told him. "I didn't catch all of the conversation but it sounded like she was talking to someone named Lily."

Sam's face snapped up; he recognized that name.

Dean saw his brother's reaction. "You know who that is." He said.

Sam nodded.

"It was what I called my mother." Andie had been listening to them talking about her. It wasn't hard; they hadn't exactly been keeping their voices down. She decided that she needed their help; no matter what her mother said. Something didn't feel right. "When I was little she didn't want me to call her mum or anything so I called her by her first name. Lily." Andie explained. Dean and Sam just watched her. "You think I'm crazy but I'm not."

Sam shook his head vehemently. "Nobody said that." He told her seriously.

"I'm not crazy." She told them; heavy tears forming in her eyes. "I know you can't see her but I do. I see her and _she is here_."

"We know, Andie." Dean told her, playing along. He knew something was really wrong with her but he had no idea she was seeing things. He took a step towards her.

"No." Andie said to Dean; halting him in his tracks. "You don't understand!" She suddenly yelled.

"Andie." Dean said carefully.

"She said you wouldn't believe me!" Andie yelled.

"We do believe you; we want to help you." Sam told her sincerely.

Dean had to be blunt; it was the only way for her to see sense. "Andie; your mother's been dead for years; you know this really isn't her." He told her.

Andie felt a surge of anger boil in her throat. "Liar!!" She screamed at Dean; tossing her hand at him. This time she _did_ mean to use her power.

Dean was thrown back into the corner.

"Andie, stop it!" Sam yelled; holding up his hands to try and calm her down.

"Leave me alone!" She screamed; using her power on Sam and sending him the same way as Dean. She looked between the two of them before hurrying back into the bathroom.

Dean quickly got to his feet. "Andie; no!" If she was seeing things he didn't want her to be alone in a bathroom. "No!" He ran for the door but it slammed shut and locked before he even got a finger on it. He banged his fists against it. "Andie?! Let me in! ANDIE!" he threw his weight against the door but it didn't open; he knew she must've been sitting against it on the other side; holding it closed. "Andie!"

Andie sat on the floor of the bathroom, her back against the door, sobbing into her hands.


	22. Chapter 22: Honesty: Best Policy?

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

**Day 59 continued**

"Honesty: Best Policy?"

Andie could hear Dean yelling at her from the other side of the bathroom but she wasn't paying attention to him. She kept thinking about her mother. Was she right? Was Andie going down some depression spiral that would cause her to kill herself? It seemed more and more likely. _Why would she do that? Why would my own mother say things like that to me? _Andie wondered as she cried. Mothers were supposed to nurture and care. Not predict suicide.

"Andrea." Lily's silky voice spoke from above Andie.

Andie looked and saw her mother staring pitifully down at her. "Go away." Andie muttered, pressing her back against the door.

"No; I'm not leaving you." Lily told her, kneeling before Andie. "You need me." She reached out to touch Andie.

"Go away!" Andie screamed.

Dean paused outside the door; that was the first thing she'd said to him. He knew from the volume and proximity of her voice that she was right behind the door. Dean sank to his knees. "I'm not going anywhere, Andie." He told her.

"Not you!" Andie yelled, turning her head to the door towards Dean.

Sam watched on confusedly. "Oh god." He suddenly realized, kneeling next to Dean. "She's in there with her."

Dean and Sam exchanged a terrified look. Dean turned back to the door. "Andie, is she in there with you? Lily. Is Lily in there with you?"

Andie was sobbing again, staring at the vision of her mother who looked at her with sad, tear-filled eyes. "They don't understand, Andie. They don't understand that _this_..._this_ is the only way we can be together."

Dean could hear Andie sobbing. "Andie; is she talking to you?" he asked. He didn't get a reply. They had to get into that bathroom. "Get your army knife." He told Sam.

"Right." Sam remembered it was in the Impala so he hurried out of the motel room; hoping Dean would be alright with Andie on his own.

"Andie, is she talking to you?" Dean asked again, slamming his open hand on the door. "What's she saying?" He didn't expect her to reply but his heart lifted when she did.

Andie's weak voice spoke through the door. "She says you don't believe me."

"Yes, I do." Dean said honestly. He placed his hand against the door, where he knew her body was on the other side. "Look, I don't know what's going on with you right now." He said in a low voice. "But I do know _you_. You're stronger then this."

Andie was now listening wholly to Dean. "What if I'm not?" she whispered.

"You are." Dean told her firmly.

Lily edged closer to her daughter. "We can have the life we were meant to have. I can be the mother you wanted me to be." She reached out and placed her own hand on Andie's. "We have to do this together. Dean and Sam; they won't understand.

"She says you don't understand." Andie told Dean, her vision blurred with tears. She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly.

"Tell her she's wrong. Andie; I get you and you know it." Dean told her; a lump forming in his throat. "It may freak you out but it's true." He moved as close to the door as he could. "Please let me in."

Lily glanced up at the door; Dean was getting in the way. "You'll have to choose, Andie." She said calmly.

Andie looked straight up at her mother. She'd called her _Andie_; the one thing she'd vowed never to do. But even so, Andie shook her head. "No, I can't." She said in a shaky voice. "I can't choose."

"Andie, listen to me." Dean paused. "Lily's right." He hoped he was making the right decision. "You have to choose. And I'm begging you...come out here and choose me."

"I'll never be able to come back." Lily warned her daughter.

Trying to swallow her sobs, Andie let go of her knees and slid slowly up the door. Her knees felt weak and her head was throbbing. "I can't, mum." She said, her chin quivering. "I love you...but I can't."

Dean could hear Andie move so he quickly got to his feet. Sam came hurrying back into the room. Dean waved his arm and him; telling him silently to stop, that he was finally getting somewhere with Andie.

Lily stepped back from her daughter. "I'm sorry you feel that way."

Andie clasped her hand around the door handle and turned away from her mother for the final time.

As soon as the door opened a crack and Dean saw Andie's face, he barged in and gripped his arms around her. He held one hand protectively over her face as he saw someone else in the bathroom. The splitting image of Andie; Lily Morgan.

"Sammy!" Dean called; alerting his brother.

Sam's eyes were already transfixed on the beautiful woman. Then, right before both of them, Lily Morgan faded away and was replaced by the black smoke figure of a man. Sam immediately armed himself with his knife; not that it would help against a smoke demon.

"What the hell are you?" Dean asked the black vision; his arms still clinging to Andie. Her face was buried in his chest facing away from the demon and Dean wanted it to stay that way.

The smoke man didn't reply. But in a few short seconds he had formed into a smoke tunnel and flowed quickly out of the bathroom into the bedroom and towards the door. Sam ducked as it was coming straight for him and then, for the first time, he realized someone else was in the room. A young, blonde woman in leather pants and a leather jacket. She was holding up a vial and the smoke monster simply slipped back into it.

"Damn." She muttered as she clicked the vial closed. She jeered her head at Andie in Dean's arms. "I almost had that power."

And with that she turned and bolted out of the motel room before Sam could even react. He ran out after her but all he saw in her wake was the back of a beat up van and a trail of smoke.

Inside, Dean helped Andie onto her bed. Her head was throbbing; she'd never had migraines before but she assumed they were just like this. When her head hit the pillow it sent a wave of pain across her forehead. "My head is killing me." She mumbled.

"I'll get you some aspirin." Dean told her. He fled to the bathroom and returned moments later with a cup of water and two pills. "Here." He handed them to Andie; she was almost asleep.

Pulling herself into a sitting position; Andie gratefully took the pills and slumped back down. She looked up at Dean who was watching her with concern in his eyes. "I don't want to fall asleep." She admitted quietly to him. "That's where she found me."

Dean leaned in closer to her. "Andie...that wasn't your mother." He told her carefully. He braced himself for another outburst of anger, but none came.

Andie closed her eyes, willing the tears that lay there not to fall. "I know." She said aloud. She opened her eyes and nodded at Dean. "I know it wasn't her." She sighed deeply. "I still don't want to fall asleep."

"Well, then I'll stay here." Dean dragged a chair right up beside Andie's rollaway bed and sat down.

"Thank you." Andie smiled, closing her eyes. Seconds later; she was asleep. And for the first time since her mother's death; Andie didn't dream about the day she'd found her body. She didn't dream about her mother at all.


	23. Chapter 23: Dream A Little Dream Of Me

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

**Day 60**

'Dream A Little Dream Of Me'

Andie awoke after a long sleep feeling more refreshed then she had in years. With her former nightmares about her mother's suicide hopefully gone for good she was looking forward to many nights without interruption. And now that she was free of that demon of her past; Andie was looking forwards. She had so many things she wanted to do. In her dreams she'd traveled back to Australia. She'd gone to Italy and Hong Kong; all the places she'd dreamed of visiting as a young child. A life without demons and hunting; she had a choice now. Sitting up in bed Andie noticed that Dean was fast asleep in the chair by her bed. She smiled to herself as she got up and climbed out of her covers. As she headed into the kitchen she saw Sam reading the newspaper and sipping on a cup of coffee.

"Wow; could you be more All-American?" Andie joked as she watched him.

"Hey; you're up." Sam folded the paper. "How are you?"

"Good." She smiled. "Looking for something?" She nodded at the newspaper.

"Just checking there were no more cases of that killer flu." Sam told her; getting the feeling she was dodging his question. "Hey." He said in a tone that made her look at him. "How are you?"

Andie smiled. "I'm _fine._" She said sincerely. And for the first time in a long time she believed it herself. "Really." She took a seat across from Sam. "Actually…I have to talk to you about something."

"Yeah, sure." Sam leant forwards.

Andie smiled; suddenly aware that her eyes were wet. "I've gotta go, Sammy." She said.

"Go where?" Sam asked.

"Anywhere." She smiled again. "Sam; my whole life I've been stuck in this rut of finding demons, killing demons, finding demons, killing demons…it _wasn't_ a life."

"Wait, hang on." Sam stopped her. "You're leaving?"

She smiled warmly. "You don't need me."

A voice in Sam's head screamed at him to tell her about Dean; about how his time was running out. But he didn't. "Andie, you can't go." He shook his head. He needed more time; more time to convince Dean that she could help. He needed to be the one to tell her.

Andie got to her feet and refilled Sam's coffee. "I have to, Sam." She said placing the fresh drink in front of Sam. "You and Dean...you have your own stuff going on and for the first time…I've got nothing going on." She laughed a little. "I can go anywhere I want."

"Ok, but can't you go anywhere you want in the direction that we're heading?" Sam asked hopefully.

"Cute." Andie grinned. "But I was thinking about heading back the other way. Maybe stop in and see Charlie, go get my bike back…I don't know." She shrugged. "I guess that's half the fun of it."

Sam got to his feet. "But-"

"Sam. I'm going." Andie replied in a no-nonsense tone. Then she looked Sam over; preserving his tall, handsome figure in her memory, before wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing him. She was relieved when he hugged her back. When she pulled away she had tears in her eyes and was touched to see Sam's eyes glistening as well.

"I'll miss ya." Sam said with a smile.

"Me too." Andie nodded.

They both heard a loud snort from the other room; a sign that Dean would be up shortly.

"I'll give you two some time." He said to Andie. "I'll go check us outta here and fill up the car and stuff." He headed for the door.

"Hey Sam." Andie called after him. He turned to her. "Thanks for everything."

"Anytime." He smiled. "Really...anytime."

**xxx**

Telling Dean she was leaving was harder then Andie had thought it would be for one reason; he acted like a child. The second the uttered the words _"I'm going to leave" _Dean had sought refuge in the bathroom and taken a forty-five minute shower. Sam returned in that time and, to give Dean and Andie more space, set up his laptop outside so they could be alone. Andie used Dean's shower time to call for a cab and pack her things. She didn't realize how spread out her clothes were until she was on her hands and knees yanking a shirt from underneath the couch. She heard the shower shut off and a few minutes later Dean exited the bathroom in jeans and a fitted gray t-shirt; apparently choosing to ignore the fact that Andie was packing. Realizing she was going to have to play the grown up at least once more, Andie broke the silence.

"She, ah, she wasn't there." Andie spoke up. "My mother; she wasn't in my dreams—at all."

Dean started mindlessly riffling through his rucksack. "Great. So you slept ok?" he asked calmly.

"Yeah, better then I have in awhile, actually." Andie told him.

"No dreams?" he asked.

Andie debated telling him the truth; but now wasn't the time so she just shook her head. "None at all."

And then they were plunged back into a spate of silence. That was until Dean suddenly turned around and folded his arms. "Ok, look, you can't go." He stated simply.

Andie hadn't realized how much she'd been dreading this conversation until he'd said those words. Suddenly she wished he would be childish again. "I don't have any reason to stay." She told him honestly. "But I have every reason to leave; to find a life away from this."

Dean understood that; and he was annoyed that he did. Had he been in her position he'd leave as well. "I was getting used to you." He muttered to his feet.

She could have left it there, but there were things she needed to tell him. Things she couldn't not let him know. "Look, Dean…what you did yesterday…I was going through a really hard time…what you said…nobody's ever done anything like that for me before. I guess I'm just trying to say...thank you…so much. For being there." She smiled; tears in her eyes once more. "I couldn't have done it without you."

Dean watched her; unable to stop the sadness from reaching his own eyes. "Anytime." He muttered; blinking back tears.

Grateful that he was acting more mature; Andie walked closer to him, more sure of what she was about to do with each step she took. She didn't think Dean knew until she was only inches from his face. She kissed him on the mouth lightly; but lovingly. When she pulled away; she almost laughed at the glee in Dean's eyes; they were literally sparkling.

"What was that for?" he asked, still reeling from the kiss.

Andie smiled, slightly embarrassed at her reason. "I didn't want to be the only girl you'd met who hadn't kissed you." Dean had no answer to that. Andie turned on her heel and picked up her bag. Just as she was out the door she thought better of her previous fib to Dean and turned back around. "Y'know how I said I didn't dream about anything? I lied."

"What did you dream about?" Dean asked with a smile.

"You." She replied simply. "I'll see you round, Dean."

And then she was gone. Dean watched as she hugged Sam and they exchanged a short goodbye. He kept his eyes on her as she got into the cab, shut the door with her slender arm, brushed her hair out of her eyes and drove off.

"God I hope so." Dean said aloud.


	24. Chapter 24: Coming Back Around

_**The beginning of this chapter is a recap of a few episodes between the time Andie left and where they are now in the series. It's not exact and I couldn't find transcripts for some but the jist of it is still there and I mixed it with my own stuff so I hope it flows alright. xox**_

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**

**Day 186**

'Coming Back Around'

**THEN**

Sam was giving Lisa and Dean some time to say goodbye so he was working up some leads in their hotel room. He was working off some information Ruby had given him about his mother's friends and family. And he discovered they were all dead.

"They're dead." Sam said to Ruby twenty minutes later. "All of them. All of my mom's friends. Her doctor, Her uncle -- everyone who ever knew her, systematically wiped off the map one at a time. Someone went through a hell of a lot of trouble Trying to cover their tracks."

"The yellow-eyed demon." Ruby shrugged.

"So, what's your deal?" Sam crossed his arms over his chest. "You show up wherever I am. You know all about me. You know all about my mom."

Ruby sighed. "I already told you. I'm-"

"Oh, right, right. Yeah. Just a hunter." Sam cut in. "Just some hunter who happens to know more about my own family than I do." He paused. "I remember you y'know."

Ruby almost laughed. "What?"

"You don't think I remember you? You don't think I remember what you did to Andie?" Sam questioned her.

The smile disappeared from Ruby's face; but she didn't look worried. "The Night Mare; was wondering when that'd come up."

"You almost killed her." Sam told her.

"But I didn't; she's a tough one." Ruby smiled. "I just wanted her power."

"Right and you were gonna get it by tricking her into thinking she was seeing her dead mother?" Sam scoffed. "Classy."

Ruby shrugged again. "Hey; it's not like I killed her. Calm down, Sammy. What would Dean say?"

Filled with anger, Sam screamed in her face. "TELL ME WHO YOU ARE!"

Unperturbed Ruby sighed. "Fine." She blinked her eyes once and they turned a sickly, demon-black. Then she blinked again and they returned to normal.

Sam retreated from her and reached for his bag.

"Think twice before going for that holy water." Ruby said tiredly.

Sam removed the holy water from his bag. "Give me one reason I should." He said holding the bottle back ready to toss it.

"I'm here to help you, Sam." Ruby said. "God's honest truth... or whatever."

"You're a demon." Sam said bluntly.

"Don't be such a racist." She deadpanned. "I'm here because I want to help you. And I can if you trust me-"

"Trust you?" Sam scoffed. "Start talking. All those murders... what was the demon trying to cover up? What happened to my mother?"

"I honestly don't know. That's what I'm trying to find out." Ruby explained. "All I know is that it's about you." Sam looked confused. "Don't you get it, Sam? It's all about you. What happened to your mom, what happened to her friends. They're trying to cover up what he did to you. And I want to help you figure it out.

"Why would you want to help me?" Sam asked.

"I have my reasons." She replied mysteriously. "Not all demons are the same, Sam. Not all of us want the same thing. Me? I want to help you from time to time. That's all. And if you let me, there's something in it for you."

"What could you possibly-" Sam started.

She smirked. "I could help you save your brother."

**XXX**

"Bela stole the colt?!" Sam screeched as he stared at the empty safe in front of him.

"I'm gonna hunt her down." Dean muttered angrily. "I'm gonna hunt the bitch down!"

"Why would she steal the colt?" Sam asked; his mind racing.

"To sell it." Bobby said with realization. "Dammit."

"Oh; I'm gonna kill her." Dean balled his fists. "That selfish bitch; I'll kill her!"

"We'll get it back." Sam told his brother.

"How?" Dean asked.

**XXX**

**NOW**

Dean was having an oddly quiet night with Sam. After they left the freaky town where Sam had apparently re-lived the Sam Tuesday over 100 times; and each day Dean had died. Now they were out of that weird loop and spending an evening alone watching the game and drinking beer. All in all, it was a good night.

Outside; she walked slowly. The blood gushing from her middle was unstoppable. She'd completely stained her clothes and the front of her jeans. Her face was sweaty and bruised and her head was numb yet heavy. Every few feet; she stumbled. She had to fight to keep upright. Ahead of her she saw the black Impala. She slipped as she passed it and steadied herself with her hand; leaving a red, bloody print in its place when she moved on. She knew she was in the right place. Ahead of her was a three step porch but to her it looked like a mountain. She gripped the railing and heaved herself up. Each step seared her wound as though she'd been shot all over again. Her blood was warm and sticky but showed no signs of easing up. As she hit the final step she tumbled forwards slightly and banged into a pole holding up the porch.

"What was that?" Sam looked up from the TV when he heard something on the front porch.

"Shut up." Dean scolded his brother as he watched the game intently.

"Dean; listen." Sam shut off the TV and waited.

Then Dean heard it; someone was on the porch. Someone breathing heavily. Then there was an audible female groan of pain as she took two heavy steps and knocked on their door. Dean grabbed for his pistol as his brother did the same. Dean went to the front door and motioned to Sam, asking if he was ready. When Sam nodded in return, Dean nodded back and opened the door.

She was leaning against the doorframe when Dean came into view. Her tired, tearful eyes locked with his as she panted in anguish. "Dean." She managed to say.

"Andie?" Dean couldn't believe his eyes. He scanned her body and saw she was clutching a heavily bleeding wound to her stomach. "Oh, God…" Then Andie closed her eyes and collapsed forwards. Dean dropped his gun and caught her before she hit the ground. "Andie? Andie!"

Together, Sam and Dean carried their friend into their hotel room and laid her on Dean's bed. Lifting up her shirt; Dean exposed her wound and felt immediately sick to his stomach. "Jesus." He swore. "What the hell did this?"

"Demon." Sam surmised as he brushed Andie's hair off her face. "Andie? It's Sam; can you hear me?"

Dean rushed to the bathroom and grabbed a towel. He pressed it against Andie's wound to try and staunch the bleeding but after only a few seconds the towel was drenched. "God; this is bad." He pressed even harder and Andie stirred.

"Andie?" Sam said loudly, slapping her lightly on the cheek. "Wake up; come on."

Andie's eyes fluttered open and she saw Sam. "It hurts…" She muttered in a ragged voice.

"I know; you'll be ok." Sam told her.

"Andie; it's Dean." Dean moved so she could see him. "Who did this to you?"

"I-I didn't see…" She muttered tiredly. "It won't stop."

Dean and Sam exchanged a look. "Andie; how long you been like this?" Dean asked her.

"A…week…" She stammered.

Sam looked at his brother; no way could a person bleed like this for a week and live. "We gotta call somebody."

"Where?" Dean asked.

"Off the top of my head; a hospital." Sam said sarcastically.

Dean looked from Andie to Sam. He grabbed his brother by his shoulder and pulled him out of earshot of Andie. "And what are we gonna tell a doctor; huh? That she's been bleeding for a week? That's not normal, Sam."

"She's gonna die if we don't do something." Sam told him earnestly.

"Call Bobby." Dean told him. "He might know something or someone who can help."

Sam sighed; he still thought the hospital was the best option but he didn't argue. He took out his cell phone and dialed Bobby's number.

Dean got another towel from the bathroom and replaced the blood-drenched towel on Andie's middle. She started shivering violently so Dean pulled a blanket over her body. "Andie?" He asked quietly as he sat beside her. She turned her head. "Andie; what happened?"

"I can't rem-rem-ember." She stammered as she shuddered involuntarily. "I did-didn't s-see." She clenched her jaw and tried to will the pain away from her body. But if hadn't work for a week; there was no chance it would work now.

"You'll be alright." Dean told her. "We'll figure it out."

"Dean." Sam said as he hung up his phone. "Bobby said its definitely demonic; he's on his way."

"Ok." Dean nodded. "What do we do until then?"

"Bobby said that if it's what he thinks it is then we can't do anything right now." Sam sighed. "Just keep her warm."

"Wait; what does he think it is?" Dean asked wrinkling his brow.

Sam shook his head. "He didn't say; but he said he'd be here as fast as he could so I'm guessing it's not good."

An hour later, Bobby arrived and Andie was still bleeding. "Jesus." He breathed when he saw the girl on the bed. She was even worse than Bobby had thought. "She say what happened?" he asked the brothers as he neared her.

"Says she doesn't remember." Dean told him.

"What is it, Bobby?" Sam asked as their friend inspected Andie's wound. "What could cause a wound like that?"

"I'm not sure." Bobby said slowly as he peered at the wound underneath all Andie's blood.

"You said on the phone it was demonic." Sam reminded him.

"I thought it was; but this ain't no demon wound." He turned to Dean. "I need tweezers; now."

"Tweezers?" Dean asked quizzically. "Look; Bobby now's not a good time to start plucking your eyebrows."

"Dammit; Dean; now!" Bobby yelled at him.

"Alright; I got it." Dean left the room and returned moments later from the bathroom with tweezers in his hand.

"Where'd you find those?" Sam asked.

"Your purse." Dean told him as he handed them to Bobby. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see." Bobby removed his hip flask from his pocket and poured the contents over the tweezers and then over Andie's wound.

"AGH!" She hollered and writhed.

"Boys; hold her down; this won't be pretty." Bobby told Sam and Dean.

Dean held Andie by her shoulders while Sam held down her legs. Bobby then took a deep breath and plunged the tweezers into her wound. Andie let out the loudest scream Dean had ever heard. "Dammit; Bobby; what the hell are you doing?!"

"Hold her down!" Bobby yelled back. It took him almost a full minute but he managed to retract what he had known would be there. He held up the tweezers in front of his and the brother's eyes.

"Is that a bullet?" Sam asked; recognizing that it was.

"Oh crap; that's not just a bullet." Dean said.

Bobby sighed. "It's from the colt."

Dean snapped his head up at Sam with anger burning in his eyes. "Bela shot Andie."


	25. Chapter 25: Bitch

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE**

**Day 186 continued**

'Bitch'

Bobby stitched up the hole in Andie's stomach as gently as he could and left her to rest. The bleeding had finally stopped now that the colt's bullet had been removed.

"Bela shot Andie." Dean muttered under his breath. "She just crossed the line from klepto to psycho."

"Dean; we don't know that." Sam reasoned. "She probably sold it to some demon. But listen; bigger issue; she was shot by the colt and she's _alive_."

"Your brothers right, Dean." Bobby said, wiping his hands clean on a towel. "That pistol kills anything and everything; you know that. That's what it's for." He pointed at Andie. "She should be dead."

Dean glanced over at his soundly asleep friend. "I know." Dean replied. "But she's not. So what does that mean?"

"How well do you know this girl?" Bobby asked carefully. He hadn't met Andie before but Dean and Sam had mentioned her.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked curiously.

"I mean; are you sure she's not a-"

"She's not." Dean cut him off. He knew Bobby was about to say demon.

"Dean." Bobby continued. "You know as well as I do; this ain't right! No one survives the colt; humans especially! She should've been killed instantly and she claims she's been like this a week? No; can't be. The gun doesn't wound; it kills. No matter how bad a shot the shooter is."

"Bobby; she's no demon." Sam countered. "We know her; alright? She's a bit weird but she's not evil. She's good; she's a hunter."

"Hunters aren't telekinetic." Bobby told them. "You said she was born with that power?"

"So what?" Dean snapped. "Sammy had visions and he's not evil."

"Dean; think with your head for once in your damn life." Bobby snapped back. "Something about this girl ain't right."

**XXX**

Andie awoke two hours later and felt as though she had a building sitting on her stomach. She dared roll over and a pain she couldn't comprehend shot all through her body. She had sweated through her blood-stained clothing and felt like utter death. "Oh, God…" She groaned.

"What?" A tired Dean replied as he sat bolt upright beside her on the floor next to the bed. "Andie?" He turned to her. "You're awake; are you alright?"

"Yeah." Andie heaved herself oh-so-painfully up so her head was resting against the headboard.

"Whoa, easy now, Morgan." Dean told her as he tried to make her more comfortable. "You'll tear your stitches."

Andie lifted up her shirt and revealed an enormous purple bruise that covered almost half over her abdomen and lower stomach centered around a tightly stitched up gouge in her body. "Oh; what the hell…"

"Yeah; you did a number there." Dean nodded at the wound. "Getting shot; that's so street of you."

"Thanks." Andie murmured as she leant her head back against the headboard.

"Anything coming back to you?" Dean asked as he handed her a glass of water sitting on the night stand.

Andie took the glass and drank a small sip of water. "No." She gasped slightly as she handed the glass back to Dean. "But I'm not bleeding anymore; what did you do?"

"Bobby took out the bullet." Dean nodded to Sam's bed where Bobby was sleeping. Sam had taken refuge on the couch and was snoring lightly. Dean looked back at Andie. "You were shot; you don't remember?"

"I remember the sound…" Andie muttered uselessly. "She called my name...I turned around...next thing I knew I was waking up on the ground bleeding like hell."

"She?" Dean asked.

"Some British bitch." Andie told him.

"Bela." Dean felt bile rise in his throat.

"Who?" Andie asked.

Dean proceeded to explain to her about all their run-ins with Bela. Her stealing his car for fun, helping her get hold of a rabbit's foot and, of course, her stealing the colt. He then carefully explained to Andie how wrong it was that she was still alive; that the colt should have killed her.

"Well; I'm clearly not dead." She told him.

"Yeah; question is why." Dean continued. "And why did Bela shoot you in the first place? What were you doing when she shot you?"

"Same old." Andie sighed. "Cemetery; following a demon."

"What demon?"

"Something called a Trixarnth. Old school; feeds on skeletons; the fresher the better." Andie told him as she shifted uncomfortably. "I killed it; no problem. I was heading out when she shot me."

"She say anything else?" Dean asked.

"Just my name." Andie shook her head. "Dunno how she knew who I was, though."

"Well; we'll ask her when we find her." Dean said firmly.

"Ok." Andie smiled tiredly. "I'm gonna sleep now…" she closed her eyes.

"Night." Dean smiled at her as she drifted off.

**XXX**

When Sam awoke on the couch the next morning; the first thing he saw was Dean's empty bed stained in Andie's blood. Andie was nowhere to be seen. Sam jumped to his feet. "Dean!"

Dean jumped to his feet from his makeshift bed on the floor. "What? What is it? Demon? What?"

"Andie's gone." Sam said hurriedly.

"What?" Dean looked and saw her empty bed. "No, no."

The bathroom door opened and a very sore looking Andie walked out tentatively. "I'm right here; calm down. I was covered in blood; no one can sleep like that."

Sam helped her sit down on the couch slowly. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been shot, Sam." She told him, patting his shoulder. "Thanks."

"Bobby?" Dean asked, noticing the other empty bed.

"Yeah; he left around the same time I took a shower; said he'd be back." Andie told them.

Dean eyed her as he walked over to the couch. "You wearing my clothes?"

"Oh yeah." Andie pulled at his white t-shirt that hung loose on her body. "Hope you don't mind; I only had the one outfit. FYI; your jeans are awesome."

"Thanks." Dean said folding his arms.

"Are we gonna talk about this or are you two just gonna back and forth it for a few hours?" Sam asked.

"What?" Andie smiled.

"You're meant to be dead; you're not. You showed up last night bleeding all over the place and now you're walking around. You were bleeding for a week and you didn't die." Sam paused. "All of these are good; pick your favorite."

"Well, I got one." Dean said grabbing a dining chair and straddling it in front of Andie. "How'd you get here?"

Andie thought a moment. "Taxi, bus, train, bus, taxi, bus." She recited. "Couldn't sit up on my bike…man, I bet that Bela-bitch stole Jeremy, too…"

"Jeremy?" Sam asked.

"She named her bike." Dean told him. "How'd you know we were here?"

Andie shook her head. "I just did."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"It happens sometimes." She told them, leaning her head back against the couch. "When I need something or someone bad enough I sorta see it in my head and know how to get there. Kinda part-and-parcel with the whole telekinesis thing."

"Huh." Dean nodded. "Cool."

"Where were you when it happened?" Sam asked.

Andie closed her eyes and tried to remember. "I'm not sure, I was only there for the night…Charlesville or Thomastown…something with a guy's name in it." She lifted up the front of her shirt and inspected her wound. It was even more bruised than it had been the night before. "Ew; this isn't pretty."

"Why aren't you worried?" Dean asked her suddenly. "You show up here at death's door and now you're all cutesy again?"

"What do you want me to do, Dean?" Andie asked. "Cry in your arms like last time? Please; I'm way past that." She smiled. "I don't dwell on things anymore."

"Andie; you were shot." Sam told her, holding back a laugh. "It's ok to dwell on that."

"Thanks Sam, but I'd rather focus on finding the bitch that shot me and took your gun." Andie told him.

The front door to the motel room suddenly opened and Bobby walked in with a bucket in his hand. "Devil; be gone!" He shouted as he covered Andie with holy water.

Andie could do nothing but sit there as she was soaked with water. "Thanks; but I already had a shower." She mumbled shaking off her hands.

"Already told you; Bobby." Dean stood up in front of his friend. "She's not a demon." He snatched the bucket out of his hand. "Give it a rest, k?"

"I don't blame you for being suspicious of me." Andie said to Bobby. She didn't hate the man; even though he had just drenched her in holy water. "But as easy as it would make this? I'm not evil."

"You are telekinetic?" Bobby asked her.

"Yes." Andie nodded. "Born with it. Same as my mother. Blood thing."

"Did you learn how to use it?" Bobby asked; obviously very interested.

"No, not really." Andie replied; getting kind of wary about his sudden interest. "I mean I had to learn to control it but my mother used to tell me I'd use it all the time when I was a baby."

"And you're sure you're not a witch?" Bobby asked.

Andie laughed. "Very sure. I don't cast spells, I don't use potions and I don't chant. I'm just…telekinetic." She glanced around at the three silent men around her. "Look, plenty of people can learn how to do it."

"Yeah; they can." Bobby said. "And that's how it's usually done. Power of the mind; over time you train your brain. But genetic telekinesis? That's…that's different." He paused, biting his lip. "Do you have other powers?"

Andie shook her head. "No. Well; kinda. Just this thing I was telling the guys about. Sometimes when I need to be somewhere I just kinda suddenly know how to get there." This had never been a big deal to Andie but Bobby took great interest in this.

"What's with all the questions, Bobby?" Dean asked.

"I'm just trying to figure some stuff out, Dean." Bobby said. "I restored that colt…and if it hasn't killed her then maybe I didn't do it right."

"Then we need to find the colt." Sam said.

"And Bela." Dean added.

That afternoon Bobby was talking with Sam on his way to his truck. He was about to head out to work on some leads to finding Bela and the colt.

"You don't have to go, Bobby." Sam told him. "We can find Bela together."

"Sam; I'm not just looking for Bela." Bobby told him. "That girl, Andie…"

"Yeah; she should be dead. I know." Sam finished for him. "But you said yourself the colt might be faulty."

"I only said that to get Dean off my back." Bobby said. "You know how he gets with girls like that. Protective and all." He rolled his eyes a little. "I know the colt is seamless. Ruby and I tested it again and again and again. Which means she has some kinda…tolerance to it."

"What would do that?" Sam asked. "I mean; it's killed everything so far."

"That's what I'm going to find out." Bobby said, patting Sam on the back. "I'll call you in a couple of days. But Sam; keep her with you until we figure this out."

"Ok." Sam nodded. Then he waited until Bobby had driven out of sight before heading back to their motel room. Dean was exiting as he walked up the stairs. "Hey. Bobby just left." Sam told him.

"Yeah; I saw." Dean replied. "Andie's taking a nap; I'm going to get pizza for lunch. You want?"

"Yeah; sure." Sam nodded. He watched Dean drive the Impala away and then sat on the porch. Bobby's words seemed to swim around his mind. If Andie wasn't normal…then what the hell was she?

**XXX**

That night after Sam and Andie were both in deep sleeps, Dean sat on the front porch with a couple of bottles of beer and just thought for awhile, mostly about Bela and Andie. He would call Andie his friend, they _had _shared a kiss when she'd left three months before, but for some reason he didn't know if she was being truthful. Bela was a tricky little bitch; that was for sure, but was she a killer? And would she attack Andie for no reason? Short answer was probably yes. Then there was Andie; dangerous woman to have on your bad side. But she claimed not to know who Bela was; that she was simply out chasing a demon at the time she was shot.

"Hey." Andie's soft, Australian accent muttered as she joined him on the porch. "Beer?"

Dean held a bottle up for her. "Sit it down." He told her. Andie sat carefully beside Dean on the top step, took the bottle and snapped off the beer cap.

Glancing over at her; Dean could see she even looked different to the Andie he'd met so many months before. Her dark hair was gone; it was now a light, chestnut brown in soft curls that flowed over her shoulders. Her face had a smile to it that had replaced her customary scowl. She looked quite happy; except for the giant hole in her stomach.

"So." Dean spoke up after a few minutes of silence. "Wanna tell me where you've been all this time?"

"Nope." Andie replied as she took a swig of her beer.

"Thought so." Dean nodded.

"Well; where would the mystery be in that?" Andie teased him. "I'm keeping it alive; making the fun last – this beer tastes like crap, by the way."

Dean nodded in agreement. "You gonna stay with us awhile?"

"Got nowhere else to go." Andie replied with a shrug. "And you wanna find Bela as much as I do; apparently." They sat in silence for a few minutes and just drank their drinks. Andie suddenly had the confidence to ask what she'd been too afraid to ask since she'd arrived. She rubbed her temple and downed a large mouthful of beer before she spoke. "So when were you gonna tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Dean asked.

"That you were dying." Andie muttered, fiddling with the lip of her bottle.

Dean looked over at her; he had never been able to tell her about the deal he'd made to save Sam's life. And when she left; he figured he'd probably never see her again so he'd just save her the worry. But now this? "Wh-what?" he stammered.

"Oh yeah; I know now." Andie didn't look at him but she did take another sip of beer.

"How?" Dean asked.

"Never mind." Andie replied. "Why didn't you tell me?" Dean looked away from her. She sighed. "Noble; though. Saving Sam; killing yourself. Good deal."

Dean heard the annoyance in her voice. "Don't start; please. I've been getting that from Sam for months."

"How long do you have left?" she asked warily.

"About eight months." Dean answered.

Andie nodded and finished the last mouthful of her beer. "You didn't answer my question."

"I said eight months." Dean repeated.

"Not that one." Andie looked him in the eyes. "_Why didn't you tell me_? After everything we went through with Charlie and then my mother...I mean; why _wouldn't_ you want me to know?"

"I don't wanna talk about it, Andie." Dean stared back at her; the moonlight hit her eyes and Dean noticed they glistened. With tears, maybe?

"Well, I do." There was anger in her voice; but she couldn't help it. She'd spent two months with Dean and Sam and never heard one iota about this deal. Plus, she and Dean had grown quite close. He'd helped her get over all the guilt she'd felt over her mother's suicide. Granted, she hadn't kept in contact over the time she'd been away but that wasn't an excuse. "Tell me why."

Dean sighed. "Look...when I first met you I didn't know that you'd...that you were...ah...I didn't think we'd end up being friends." He managed to say. "And then you showed up with baby Charlie...and Sam wanted me to tell you but I didn't see the point if you were leaving again. And then you _did_ leave but you kissed me and..." He trailed off.

"Wait; so this is my fault for kissing you?" Andie asked with a scoff.

"No." Dean closed his eyes, so frustrated with her way of thinking. "I just…"

"Forget it." Andie wiped the corner of her eye with her hand. "I'm over being mad at you." She sighed. "What can we do?"

Dean shook his head. "I dunno. Sam and I are trying to figure something out but with all the demons around its been kinda tough."

"Yeah; well, you haven't had me." Andie turned to him and smiled; any remnants of tears now completely gone from her face. "If anyone can save you; I can." She added confidently. Then she leant on Dean's arm and pushed herself up onto her feet; wincing as she used the muscle under her bullet wound to move. "Get some sleep, Dean. We gotta move early tomorrow."

Dean watched her go back inside the motel room out of the corner of his eye. He wondered if she was just being over confident; pretending she had the answers when she really didn't. Or maybe she did; and maybe it had something to do with why the colt's bullet hadn't killed her.


	26. Chapter 26: The Pursuit of Unhappiness

_**The chapter follows the events of the episode Jus In Bello. Credit goes to the writers/creators of that episode.**_

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX**

**Day 188-190**

'The Pursuit of Unhappiness'

When Andie awoke before Dean and Sam the next day she showered and dressed back into her own clothes. She'd washed them in the motel Laundromat four times until the stains were as indiscernible as they were going to get. She stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom with her shirt pulled up just below her breast. Her bruise was still covering a good portion of her right side. The stitches were holding and didn't seem to be infected. Andie gingerly ran her fingers over the skin; it was tender and incredibly sore to touch. And seeing as she used the muscles around the wound on a daily basis; normally mundane acts like walking and breathing were proving to be quite painful. She sighed; even _that_ hurt, and pulled her shirt back down. Her mind wandered back to that Friday night the week before when Bela shot her. She hadn't known Bela was armed, let alone armed with the colt, when she'd spotted her. It was only when Andie had noticed her watching her from her gleaming, expensive car that she'd approached her. An argument ensued; Andie probably shouldn't have said the things she'd said to Bela; it had pretty much provoked her. But how was she to know Bela was packing the colt?

The thing that scared Andie the most was this mystery as to why she was still alive. She was as clueless as Sam and Dean. She didn't know why she was apparently the only one to survive it. She'd had the thought that maybe she _was_ a demon. But no; the colt for sure would have killed her. So then did it have something to do with her telekinesis; maybe something in her blood? Something that apparently made her heal way too fast?

Andie exited the bathroom as Dean was waking up. "Morning." She greeted him.

"Hey; should you be moving?" Dean asked immediately as he sat up. "This time yesterday you were bleeding all over my bed."

"Yeah; its, um, it's good." She lifted up her shirt and showed Dean the bruising. "Well; not _good_ but..."

Dean stretched and yawned as he got out of his bed. "I was thinking; is there anything in that journal of your mother's about something like this?" he asked.

"I wouldn't know." Andie replied as she got herself a glass of water. "The journal is in my bag. My bag was on the back of my bike." She raised her glass to Dean. "Both now in the possession of the tramp who shot me."

Dean shook his head. "She doesn't know what it is; does she?"

Andie gave him a blank look. "Whatit _is_?" She repeated. "What _is_ it?"

"Y'know; it's a detailed analysis of every demon you're mother and grandmother fought, right? That'd sell big bucks." Dean told her.

Worry settled in Andie's heart; she hadn't thought of that. It wasn't as though her family was 'well-known' by demons like the Winchesters; but a book like her mother's journal would be an asset for any hunter no matter whom the author. "All the more reason to find Bela quickly."

"Actually; I'd rather figure out why you're still in the land of the living." Dean told her.

"And _I'd _rather figure out how to get _you _outta you're little _kill-me-in-a-year_ demon plan." Andie countered.

"Don't one-up me with this." Dean whined.

"Why not? I'm winning." Andie grinned smugly.

"My god; shut up!" Sam groaned as he sat up in his bed with a fantastic bed-head. "I do not need to be waking up to this again."

"Well; now that you _are_ awake; let's get moving." Dean said to the both of them. "We can grab breakfast on the way."

Sam yawned hugely. "How are we supposed to find Bela with no way of tracking her?"

"Bobby said she was heading to Monument; so we follow." Dean told them as he packed up his bag.

"I agree." Andie nodded; awkwardly shrugging on her leather jacket. She had to edge it on slowly so as not to strain her injury.

"And do _I_ get a say in this?" Sam asked as he got to his feet.

"Sammy; do you wanna find the colt?" Dean asked tiredly.

"Of course I do." Sam replied.

Dean clapped his hands together once. "And you've had your say; let's move."

**xxx**

They drove for almost twelve straight hours before they had to stop for gas. Sam went inside to pay and re-load on junk food while Dean filled up the car. Andie climbed over the back seat into the passenger's seat and immediately wished she hadn't. As she sat a searing pain shot through her abdomen causing her to curse loudly.

"Wanna keep it down, Morgan?" Dean said through the window. "Women and children present out here."

Andie muttered an insult back at him as she checked her wound again. The stitch was healing but the bruise was as ugly as ever. She was staring at it so intently she didn't notice Dean leaning on the open car window.

"So." He said, making her jump. "I had some thoughts as to why you didn't die."

"And what, pray-tell, are they?" Andie asked; lowering her shirt.

"You're telekinetic thing. Maybe; without your knowledge; it protected you when you got shot." He suggested. "Kinda moved the bullet…" Even as Dean said it he knew it was stupidly incorrect.

"Swing and a miss Dean." Andie snipped; patting the side of his face. "It didn't exactly protect me; have you not seen this?" She showed him her bruise again.

"God; you'll do anything to make me look at you with your clothes off." Dean shook his head.

Andie huffed as she pulled down her shirt. "This is as close as you're gonna get. _Believe_ me."

"Ok…so you feel good, you look good...it's like you weren't even shot." He sighed.

Sam walked back over to the car with three cans of soda and some chips. He tossed a can to Dean. "Maybe Bela did something to the colt; damaged it or something."

Dean leant off the window and walked around to the driver's side. "Maybe. All we know for sure is that it began with her. So let's end it with her."

**xxx**

Two days and 100 miles later Dean, Sam and Andie were in Monument, Colorado hot on Bela's tail. There was still no word from Bobby but he often went MIA for days at a time so the boys weren't worried. They had tracked Bela down to her hotel room in Monument; Dean and Sam were armed with guns while Andie was weapon-less; her telekinesis her only form of defense but, in her opinion, the best one they had.

The three of them stormed into her hotel room ready to face her but were faced with nothing more than an empty apartment. Andie checked out the bedroom and the bathroom; both empty. She met up with Dean and Sam back in the living room. Dean was searching apparently empty drawers while Sam was looking through a safe with nothing inside it.

"Any sign of it?" Dean asked; referring to the colt.

"No." Sam shook his head. "You sure this is her place?"

Dean was ferreting through the drawers of a dresser. He pulled out two wigs. "I'd say so." He said bitterly.

"Well, she can't have gone far, right?" Andie suggested.

Sam shrugged. Then, for some reason, the phone started to ring. Sam, Andie and Dean all exchanged a weird look. Dean walked over towards the phone which was on the unmade bed and held out his arms at his brother. Sam shook his head, but Dean just reached for the phone anyway. He held it so it was almost touching his ear.

"Dean?" Bela's voice said to him. "Sweetie, are you there?"

"Where are you?" Dean sighed while shaking his head at Andie and Sam; who both looked incredibly annoyed. They knew it was Bela. "Where are you?"

"About two states away by now." Bela replied.

"Where?" Dean snapped.

"Where's our usual quippy banter?" She asked in a sickly sweet voice. "I miss it."

"I want it back, Bela." Dean told her. "Now."

"Your little pistol, you mean." Bela said. "Sorry. Can't at the moment."

"You understand how many people are gonna die if you do this?" Dean asked her irritably.

"What exactly is it that you think I plan to do with it?" Bela asked.

"Take the only weapon we have against and army of demons and sell it to the highest bidder?" Dean suggested.

Bela paused. "You know nothing about me." She said.

"I know I'm gonna stop you." Dean told her confidently.

"Tough words from a guy who can't even find me." Bela said back.

"Oh, I'll find you sweetheart." Dean replied. "Think I'm gonna let you get away with shooting Andie?"

"Oh yes. Andie." Bela sighed. "You have my sympathies. If it makes you feel any better I didn't mean to kill her. She just got in the way. I wondered how long it would take you to find out." She sighed. "And I am terribly sorry for your loss, Dean. I know you liked that one."

Dean looked at Andie with a furrowed brow. Bela thought Andie was dead. Fair enough assumption; she _should_ be dead. But Dean wasn't going to blow his only chance to go one up on Bela. "Yeah; well it just means I'm gonna find you faster." He said. "And you know why? Because I've got nothing better to do then to track you down."

"That's where you're wrong." Bela said suspiciously. "You're about to be _quite_ occupied. Did you really think I wouldn't take precautions?"

All of a sudden the door to the hotel room opened and half a dozen or so police officers in protective riot gear came charging into the room. "Get your hands in the air! Down on your knees!" They screamed.

"That bitch!" Dean growled as he dropped the phone and put his hands in the air.

"Get down on the ground; now!" An officer yelled at Dean, grabbing him by the back of his jacket and forcing him to the ground. Another officer did the same to Sam. Andie was grabbed from behind and pushed up against a wall.

"Hey; leave her alone!" Dean yelled at the officer. "She's got nothing to do with this!"

"What the hell is going on?!" She yelled at the officer behind her.

"Keep quiet, Andie." Dean tried to yell over his shoulder but it was proving difficult since he was face to face with the carpet.

"Sam and Dean Winchester." The police officer cuffing Dean started. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney and have an attorney present at any questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney one will be appointed for you at the courts expense."

A silence fell over the room as a heavy footed man entered. Sam and Dean both stared at him from the feet up and realized they were staring at Special Agent Victor Henriksen; the policeman who had been tailing Sam and Dean since a demon, in Dean's form, had robbed a bank. The brothers had escaped and Henriksen had made it his mission to find them and put them away.

"Hi boys." He said with a happy snarl. "It's been awhile."

**xxx**

Dean and Sam were immediately handcuffed and put into the back of one of the police cars. Andie was held behind by Henriksen and one other policeman. Henriksen held Andie by her forearm as he walked her to another police car.

"So, Andie, is it?" Henriksen asked her. "You have a last name?"

"Yeah; why?" She wretched her arm out of his grasp. He let her go; but he kept close.

"Ma'am; I take it you didn't realize you were with two fugitives?" he asked her.

"I had no idea!" Andie replied sarcastically. "Look; I wasn't doing anything illegal. You can't hold me."

"Wanna bet?" Henriksen smirked. "Miss; I could charge you with breaking and entering right now."

"Then why don't you?" Andie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because you're involved with the Winchester brothers." He said with a know-it-all grin. "Which means I can get you on so much more." He opened the car door. "Get in."

Andie sighed and climbed into the car.

**xxx**

Twenty minutes later, Andie was being led into the police station with handcuffs secured on her wrists. She was roughly grabbed under the arm by an officer and led to the back room. He was the same officer who had cuffed Sam and Dean together back at Bela's hotel room. When he opened the door to lead her towards her cell; she stumbled into his body.

"Ooh; my bad." She apologized to the officer.

"Just get in there." He shook his head. He hadn't noticed her slip her hand into his back pocket. He walked her towards the cell opposite Sam and Dean.

"Aw, look at my boys all in chains." She smiled as the officer opened the empty cell and pushed her in. "Easy now." She shook her head at him as he locked her cell and then left them alone. Andie sat on the threadbare mattress on the creaking bed-frame and sighed. "So." She looked at the brothers. "How was your day?"

"Just dandy, Andie." Dean said; leaning his head back against the concrete.

"Oh honey. The rhyming?" She shook her head. "No."

"How are you so calm?" Sam asked her. "We're in jail."

"Yeah; I'm aware." She raised her cuffed hands at Sam.

"Look, Andie. Keep quiet; alright?" Dean told her. "These guys are after _us_; they should let _you_ go."

"Dean; I don't need you to get me outta this." Andie told him. "I have a plan."

"And does that plan involve _us_ getting out?" Sam asked.

"Kinda." Andie said, cocking her head.

The door to the cell room creaked open a moment later and Special Agent Henriksen entered. He walked over to the brother's cell and stood before them with his arms crossed over his chest. "You know what I'm trying to decide?" he asked.

Dean scoffed. "I dunno; whether cialis will help you with your little problem?" He quipped.

"What I'm gonna have for dinner tonight." Henriksen told them. "Steak or lobster. What the hell surf and turf. I got a lot to celebrate after all." He smirked. "You two in chains..."

"You kinky son of a bitch; we don't swing that way!" Dean deadpanned.

"That's funny." Henriksen said in a low voice.

"Yeah; well I wouldn't break out the melted butter just yet." Dean told him. "You couldn't catch us at the bank. Couldn't keep us in that jail…" he shrugged and smiled smugly at Andie.

"Really?" Andie leant forward on her bed. "You had them twice and couldn't hang onto them? That's gotta be embarrassing…"

Henriksen glared at her a little. "You're right. I screwed up." He admitted. "I underestimated you; I didn't count you to be that smart. But now; I'm ready."

"What; ready to lose us again?" Dean quipped with a glint in his eye.

"Ready like I got a court order to keep you in a super maximum prison in Nevada until trial." Henriksen corrected him. "Ready like isolation in a soundproof, windowless cell so small that between you and me…is probably unconstitutional. How's that for ready?"

Andie watched as the Agent's words sank into Sam and Dean. Sam shot worried glances at his brother while Dean rubbed his hand over his chin and looked to the floor.

"Take a good look at Sam." Henriksen continued. "You two will never see each other again." Both Dean and Sam snapped their heads up at the agent. "Aww; where's that smug smile Dean?" Henriksen grinned evilly. "I wanna see it."

Dean shook his head and smiled weakly. "You got the wrong guys."

"Oh yeah; I forgot." Henriksen said sarcastically. "You...fight _monsters_." He shook his head. "Sorry Dean; truth is your Daddy brainwashed you with all that devil talk and no doubt touched you in the bad place. That's all; that's reality."

Dean leant forwards and leant on his knees. "Why don't you shut your mouth?" He glared at the agent.

"Well, guess what?" Henriksen continued. "Life sucks; get a helmet. Because everybody's got a sob story…but not everybody becomes a killer." The sound of a chopper approaching interrupted the conversation. The bright lights shone through the window of the cell room. "And now I have two less to worry about." Henriksen checked his watch and smirked. "Hm. It's surf and turf time." He laughed.

"Hey; what about me?" Andie got to her feet as the agent started to leave. "I don't know these guys."

"Sweetheart; I know that's not true." Henriksen paused out the front of her cell.

"I don't know them." Andie continued. "I was hitch-hiking and they picked me up. Next thing I know you're guys are arresting us. I don't know anything about any murders or demons."

"Is that so?" Henriksen cocked and eyebrow at her.

"I'm just the pretty face." She smiled at him. "Besides; I didn't have a weapon and I didn't kick up a fuss when you brought me to this place. You can't hold me here and you know it."

Henriksen shook his head and smiled. "You're right. Even though I don't believe for a second you don't know these boys; I can't hold you. Background check didn't even bring up anything dirty." He sighed. "Wait here; I'll send the officer in." He laughed at his own bad joke about her being basically immobile and left the room.

Dean got to his feet and tried to hurry to the side of his cage; but his attachment to Sam caused him to stumble and fall back. "Andie." He managed to say when he'd recovered. "What are you doing?"

"This is your plan?" Sam added. "You get off Scott-free and we rot in Nevada?"

"As if I'd leave you boys behind." Andie removed what she'd picked from the guards pocket when she'd been brought into the room; the handcuff key. She held it up to Sam and Dean. "Figured if I left you _this_ you'd be able to get out on your own." She grinned.

"You are the best." Dean grinned. "Toss it here."

Before Andie could through him the key; the guard came in. Andie stuffed the key in her mouth under her tongue as the officer opened her cage; glaring at her as he did so.

"Say goodbye to your friends, sweetheart." He said to her. "They'll be away for a long time."

"Well; if that's the case." Andie moved towards Dean who was leaning awkwardly against the bars. "I'll miss you." She grinned before leaning in and kissing Dean full on the mouth; very, very passionately.

The officer rolled his eyes and then grabbed her by the elbow. "That's enough." He pulled her away.

As the officer dragged Andie out of the room, she winked at Dean.

"What was that?" Sam got to his feet behind Dean.

Dean removed the key from his mouth. "Our way outta here." He grinned.


	27. Chapter 27: Caged

_**The chapter follows the events of the episode Jus In Bello. Credit goes to the writers/creators of that episode.**_

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN**

**Day 190**

'Caged'

Dean and Sam had to work together to use the key Andie had left for them. They managed to unlock the chains keeping their legs tied together but the handcuffs were proving difficult. They barely got the chance to try when they were joined by someone else; a well dressed man with dark hair and a mysterious grin. He came into the room and slowly closed the door before walking over to the brother's cell.

"Sam and Dean Winchester." He greeted them. "I'm Deputy Director Steven Groves. This is a pleasure."

Dean, who was right near the man at the front of the cage, looked unimpressed. "Well, I'm glad one of us feels that way." He muttered. "Andie get outta here?"

The Deputy ignored his question. "I've been waiting a long time for you two to come outta the wood-work." He said. He removed the gun from behind his back so quickly the brothers never saw it coming. He shot Dean through the left shoulder.

As his brother fell to the bed and the gun continued to fire, Sam rushed at the Deputy and managed to veer the gun off course so it couldn't hit Dean again. In his struggle for the gun, Sam saw the Deputy's eyes glaze over in a demonic black as he grinned evilly. Sam immediately began casting a depossesion spell on the "Deputy". He writhed as Sam spoke.

When Sam had finished the spell, the demon grinned at him and spoke in a harsh, ragged voice. "Sorry I gotta cut this short. It's gonna be a long night fellas!" With that, the demonic smoke was expelled from the Deputy's body in one loud roar and the man fell to the floor in a lump.

Two officers, Officer Amichi and Sheriff Dodd, FBI Agent Reedy, who had arrived with Deputy Groves, as well as Henrickson, stormed into the holding room moments later. They saw the dead body on the floor and Sam holding the gun and made their own assumptions. The officers told Sam to put the gun down. He and Dean yelled back that they were the ones that had been attacked; that they hadn't shot anyone and that the Deputy had in fact been dead for quite some time.

"What did you do to him?" Henriksen yelled.

"We didn't _do_ anything-" Dean started.

"Talk or I shoot!" Henriksen aimed his weapon at Dean.

"You won't believe us." Dean said through gritted teeth as he put pressure on the bullet wound in his arm.

"He was possessed." Sam suddenly told Henriksen.

"Possessed, right." Henriksen almost laughed but the two officers beside him exchanged a worried look. "Fire up the chopper; we're taking 'em outta here now."

"Yeah; do that!" Dean yelled.

Agent Reedy got on his radio. "Bill." He said into the speaker. Loud static came through but no voice. "Bill; you there?" Still nothing. He looked up to Henriksen. They exchanged a nod and the man went out to look for his partner.

"Where's Andie?" Dean asked.

"You don't talk! What do you _not_ get about that?!" Henriksen yelled; his grip firm on his gun.

"They're dead." Agent Reedy's voice suddenly cracked through Henriksen's radio. "I think they're all dead."

Before anyone could respond an enormous explosion rang out from in front of the sheriff's station. Dean could feel the heat through the walls.

"What the hell was that?" Henriksen mumbled. "Reedy?" He called into his walkie. "Reedy?! What the hell was that; come in? Reedy!" Henriksen looked at Officer Amichi and the Sheriff and then they both bolted out of the room.

Sam and Dean looked at each other. "Not good." Dean surmised. He nodded at the body on the ground in front of them. "He'll have an army out there; I know it."

"What about Andie?" Sam asked. "Do you think she got out ok?"

"I dunno." Dean muttered. There was a lot of scared yells coming from the main office of the station. Dean surmised they were wondering if the brother's could actually be telling the truth; that there was such a thing as demons and they were coming for 

him and his brother. Dean didn't get to ponder this thought long because all the lights in the station simultaneously went out. Seconds later; a few dimly lit back up lights came on. Dean looked to his brother. "Well, that can't be good." He said worriedly.

Over the next half hour, Henriksen came in and asked the boys what was happening only to yell at them that if it was demons he'd pretty much shoot them. He left and Dean's shoulder began to bleed even more so when Sam noticed the receptionist, Nancy, lingering by the door, he tricked her into bringing them a towel for Dean and then stole the cross-necklace from around her neck. After tossing that into the toilet bowl, the Sheriff Dodd came in and told the boys it was time to leave. When Henriksen walked in on him and told them that the brother's weren't going anywhere, he shot the Deputy in the neck. Sam lunged at Henriksen and tackled him; shoving his face into the toilet water and casting the same depossession spell he had on the deputy while Dean, using Henriksen's discarded gun, kept the Officer Amichi at bay. The demonic Henriksen managed to snarl at Dean and Sam before he was expelled that it was too late, he'd already called his demon friends and they were coming.

Nancy crept into the room as Henriksen's limp body fell to the floor. "Is he…is he dead?" she asked in a small voice. Just then, Henriksen coughed loudly and pulled himself up.

"Henriksen." Sam said. "Hey. Is that you in there?"

Henriksen pulled himself up onto the bed. He had a bewildered look in his face and very wide eyes. He nodded his head. "I-I…" His eyes fell on the sheriff's body. "I shot the sheriff…"

"But you didn't shoot the deputy." Dean deadpanned, quoting the song lyric happily. No one else was impressed with his pop culture reference.

"Five minutes ago I was fine and then…" Henriksen shook his head.

"Lemme guess." Dean cut in. "Some nasty black smoke? Jammed itself down your throat?"

"You were possessed." Sam told him simply.

"Possessed like…possessed?" Henriksen asked; obviously confused.

"That's what it feels like; now you know." Sam said with a wry grin.

Henriksen seemed to finally believe them. He told Officer Amichi to release the brothers from their handcuffs. When they were free; he shrugged at them. "Alright. So how do we survive?" he asked.

"Well; you're probably gonna need me." Andie sang from the doorway as she leant against the frame. "It didn't take me as long as I thought to walk in a circle around town. But apparently I missed the party; there is a flaming chopper out there." She pointed a thumb to the outside of the building."

"How'd you get in?" Officer Amichi asked her. "I locked all the-"

Andie held out her hand and showed him the three pieces of metal that had once represented a lock in her palm. "Yeah; you may wanna use something stronger. Especially with those guys; locks won't hold 'em." She tossed the lock fragments to Amichi.

"Then what will?" Henriksen asked.

Ten minutes later, Sam had found red spray paint and was drawing the devil's mark on the floor outside the windows to hold any demons in place that came through them. Andie forced Dean to let her stitch up his arm in the main office of the station.

"Ow; take it easy." Dean winced as Andie finished the last stitch in his arm.

"Hey; I'm still sporting this." She flashed him her still bruised and ugly colt wound on her abdomen. "Yours probably won't leave a scar." She gave him a bottle of whiskey she'd found in the contraband collection and handed it to Dean. "Drink this."

"Why'd you come back?" Dean asked as he took a swing from the bottle.

"Well; look what happens when I leave." She gestured to the station. "You get shot; people get possessed and now there is a demonic army planning on storming and killing all of us." She shook her head. "Why do you think I left you that key, Dean?"

Dean frowned and cocked his head. "I figured it was just another ruse so you could kiss me again." He smiled.

Andie pushed against his bullet wound and gained a little bit of satisfaction when he winced. "Did that hurt?" She asked sweetly. "Good." She unwrapped a bandage from the First Aid Kit and started taping it to Dean's arm.

"Yeah; well now you're up two-zilch in initiating kisses." Dean told her suddenly.

"So…what, you wanna even things out?" Andie's eyes lingered in his for a moment. Then he raised his eyebrows; a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Andie blushed slightly and rolled her eyes. "Stop looking at me like that." She gently shoved the side of his face then finished taping up the bandage on Dean's arm. "That should hold."

"Thank you." Dean told her; sliding off the desk.

"You're welcome." She smiled back. Then she snapped back into work mode. "Ok; Sam; wanna come with me on a salt run?"

"What's a salt run?" Sam asked as he came into the room.

"Like a beer run." She explained. Sam gave her a blank expression. "Oi; there's so much I have to teach you." She turned him around by his shoulder and shoved him in Nancy's direction.

"Where's my car?" Dean asked Officer Amichi.

"Impound lot out back." The officer told him.

Sam and Andie both came back in the room at the same time. "Wait; you're not going out there?" Sam asked his brother.

"Yeah; I just gotta get something outta my trunk." Dean told them.

"Well, run." Andie told him. She turned back and grabbed Sam by his shoulder. "Come on."

Andie and Sam grabbed bags of salt from the storage room of the station and the pair of them, along with the other officers and Nancy, set about sealing off all the entrances into the station to keep the demons away. As Andie and Sam returned to the centre of the station; all the lights began to flicker and a low rumbling could be heard.

"They're coming." Andie muttered to Sam.

"I'll get the others." Sam said as he backed away. "Go get Dean."

"Ok." Andie nodded and hurried to the back exit that led to the impound lot. She found it easily since it had been the same exit she'd broken into when she'd returned. She peered out the door and saw Dean peeking over the trunk off his car at the flickering streetlamps around them. There was a strong, eerie wind in the air that seemed to pick up every stray leaf on the ground and toss it crazily into the air. "Dean!" Andie yelled at him. "Move it!" He glanced over at her and then returned to packing a duffle bag. The wind grew stronger and a low _whoosh_ could be heard in the air. The noise caused Andie to take a few steps out of the station. She noticed Dean was looking behind him to locate the source of the noise. They both saw the purple and black smoke rushing towards the station at an epic speed; electric bolts seeming to whip around inside the clouds as they moved. Andie immediately backed herself into the station again and held the double doors open for Dean who was running towards her faster than she'd ever seen him run. He skated in and together they slammed and locked the doors.

"They're coming!" Dean yelled over his shoulder to everyone else as Andie tied a padlock to the door. "Hurry!"

The loud _whoosh_ grew ever more audible as it surrounded the station. Andie heard Nancy's high-pitched scream as she and Dean moved away from the back exit. They met everyone else back in the main office of the station. Dean tossed Sam a gun from his duffle bag and the group stood together as the dark cloud surrounded every window and door; shrouding the building in darkness. Fear rose in Andie's throat and she grabbed Dean's forearm tightly. He didn't seem to mind; his focus was on the task ahead. The smoke sounded like it was banging on the door to be let in. It was so strong it shook the rafters above causing a faint dust to float down from above.

Then, as quickly as it had come, the smoke disappeared. The light returned to the room and everything remained still. Andie released her tight grip on Dean's arm as he and Sam exchanged a look.

"Everybody ok?" Sam asked the room.

"Define ok." Henriksen quipped.

Dean tossed his duffle bag on one of the desks and started rifling through it. "Alright; everybody needs to put one of these on." He removed a handful of talismans and started passing them around. "They'll keep you from being possessed."

He tossed one to Andie who pulled it over her head immediately. "What about you and Sam?" Andie asked; realizing there were no more talisman's left to wear. Both Dean and Sam pulled down the front of their shirts revealing the talisman tattoo on each of their left chests.

"Smart." Henriksen said approvingly. "How long you had those?"

"Not long enough." Sam told him in a low voice.

**xxx**


	28. Chapter 28: Incoming

_**The chapter follows the events of the episode Jus In Bello. Credit goes to the writers/creators of that episode.**_

**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT**

**Day 190 continued**

'Incoming'

The next hour was spent preparing. Sam helped Andie load the guns Dean had retrieved from the Impala while Dean and Henriksen did the same in Henriksen's office. Officer Amichi and Nancy added extra salt to all the windows and doors.

"Hey; that's Jenna Roobner." Nancy suddenly spoke up as she stared at something out the window.

Sam and Andie went over to her and looked outside. There were fifty or so people standing by the wreckage of the helicopter. They stood in a group and were all staring towards the station. The girl Nancy had named as Jenna stood out from the crowd and Nancy, Andie and Sam could all see her black eyes.

"It's not Jenna anymore." Sam said quietly.

The three of them watched the people a little more and saw that every person had demonically black eyes. "That's where all that black demon smoke went?" Nancy asked.

"Looks like it." Sam muttered.

In Henriksen's office, he and Dean were loading the shotguns with shells full of salt rather than bullets. "Fighting off monsters with condiments." Henriksen almost laughed as he removed his tie. "So...turns out demons are real."

Dean, who was sitting on the couch, nodded. "FYI; ghosts are real, too. So are werewolves, vampires, changelings, evil clowns that eat people..."

Henriksen looked over at him. "Okay then." He said with sarcasm as he loaded a bullet belt with salt pellets.

"If it makes you feel better; Big Foot's a hoax." Dean continued; enjoying himself. He smiled when Henriksen told him it didn't make him feel better.

"How many demons?" Henriksen asked.

"Total? No clue." Dean told him. "A lot."

"You know what my job is?" Henriksen asked.

"You mean besides locking up the good guys?" Dean smirked as he got to his feet. "I have no idea."

"My job is boring." Henriksen admitted. "It's frustrating. You work three years for one break...and then maybe you can save a few people. Maybe." He paused. "That's the pay-off. Been busting my ass for fifteen years; nailed a handful of guys...and all this while there was something off in the corner so big..." He sighed. "So yeah. Sign me up for that big frosty mark who wasted my damn life."

"You didn't know." Dean told him.

"But now I do." Henriksen countered. "What's out there? Can you guys beat it? Can you win?"



"Honestly? I think the world's gonna end bloody." Dean said with a sad smile. "But it doesn't mean we shouldn't fight. We do have choices; I choose to go down swinging."

"Plus you got nothing to go home to but you're brother." Henriksen reminded him.

"Yeah…" Dean mumbled. "What about you? You rockin the white picket fence?"

"Empty apartment; string of angry ex-wives…" He shook his head. "I'm right where you are." He paused. "Only I don't got someone looking out for me."

"You mean, Sam?"

"Yeah, Sam." Henriksen nodded. "And Andie."

"Andie's a friend." Dean shrugged.

"Yeah; because everyone flirts like crazy with their friends." Henriksen laughed to himself. "If you can't see it I'm sad for you."

The unmistakable sound of glass breaking rang through the silent station; alerting everyone. It had come from one of the back rooms and when Dean and Henriksen arrived; Sam was already walking towards the intruder; Ruby.

"Do we kill her?" Henriksen asked as he held his gun to her.

"We don't." Sam told him. "She's here to help us." He stood on the edge of the devil's cage painted onto the floor.

Ruby nodded below her. "Are you gonna let me out?" Sam used his knife to scratch away some of the paint thus 'opening' the cage and allowing Ruby to move freely. "And they say chivalry's dead." She walked out of the cage. "Does anyone have a breath mint? Some guts got in my mouth while I was killing my way in here." She walked through everyone and headed deeper into the station. Dean and Andie followed her while Sam re-sealed the entrance she'd broken through.

"How many are out there?" Dean asked Ruby as they came into the main office.

"Thirty at least." She said. "But that's so far."

"Oh good; thirty." Dean said sarcastically. "Thirty hitmen all gunning for us. Who sent 'em?"

Ruby looked over at Sam who was lingering in the doorway. "You didn't tell him?" She raised her eyebrows. "Oh...I'm surprised."

Dean looked between his brother and Ruby. "Tell me what?" he asked.

"There's a big, new up-and-comer." She said. "A real pied-piper.

"Who is he?" Dean asked.

"Not _he_." Ruby said irritably. "_Her_. Her name is Lilith."

"Lilith?" Dean repeated.

"And she really, really wants Sam's intestines on a stick." Ruby looked back over to Sam. "Guess she sees him as competition."



"You knew about this?" Dean asked his brother. Sam looked guilty. "Well; geeze, Sam is there anything else I should know?!" Sam just continued to look guiltier than ever.

"How about the two of you talk about this later?" Ruby spoke up. "We'll need the colt."

Andie scoffed out loud.

"Something funny, sweetheart?" Ruby asked her.

"Oh; if you only knew." Andie shook her head.

Ruby looked from Andie to Dean and Sam. "Where's the colt?" she asked.

"It got stolen." Sam muttered.

"I'm sorry; I must have blood in my ear." Ruby spat. "I thought I just heard you say you were _stupid _enough to let the colt get grabbed outta your thick, clumsy, idiotic hands." When no one replied, Ruby turned away in a huff. "Fantastic." She said through gritted teeth. "This is just peachy."

"If it makes you feel better we think it's faulty." Dean spoke up. "Andie here got shot."

Ruby turned around as Andie lifted her shirt to show her purplish bruise. "You were shot by the colt and you're still standing?"

"No; I'm dead." Andie said sarcastically. "We figure the colt wasn't restored properly after-"

"I made sure that colt was in perfect working condition before Bobby and I sent it back to you louts." Ruby snapped bitterly as she turned her back on them again.

"Ruby-" Sam started.

She held up a hand to him. "Shut up." She paused for a moment and turned back. "Fine. Since I don't see that there's any other option; there's one other way I can get you out of here alive."

"What's that?" Dean asked.

"I know a spell." Ruby told him. "It'll vaporize every demon in a one mile radius; myself included." She walked back into the centre of the room purposefully. "So you let the colt outta your sight and now _I_ have to die. So next time; be more careful. How's that for a dying wish?" She muttered as she fell heavily into a chair.

"Ok." Dean got to his feet. "What do we do?"

"Aw, you can't do anything." Ruby told him with a smirk. "This spell's very specific. It calls for a person of virtue."

"I got virtue." Dean said immediately.

Andie laughed out loud. "You don't got virtue."

Ruby joined in on the laugh. "Nice try; you're not a virgin."

Dean chuckled and glanced around the room. "Nobody's a virgin." Ruby gave him a know-it-all look and glanced over towards Dean's left. Dean turned beside him to Andie. "No. No way."

"Oh; you wish, Dean." Andie snapped, folding her arms. "Dumbass." She muttered under her breath.



"No; not her." Ruby nodded at Nancy. "There's you're winner."

Dean looked to Nancy. "You're kidding me; right?"

"What? It's a choice, ok?" Nancy said defensively.

"Wait so you've never..." Dean started. "Not even once. I mean not even..."

"Dean." Andie snapped. "Leave her alone."

"Wow." Dean said quietly.

"So; the spell." Nancy got them back on topic. "What can I do?"

Ruby got up and walked towards her. "You can hold still." She told Nancy. "While I cut your heart outta your chest."

"What?" Nancy yelped.

"Whoa; what are you, crazy?" Dean told Ruby.

"I'm offering a solution." Ruby said reasonably.

"You're offering to _kill_ somebody." Dean corrected her.

"And what do you think is gonna happen to this girl when the demons get in?" Ruby asked Dean.

"We're gonna protect her; that's what." Henriksen piped up.

"Very noble." Ruby told him.

"Excuse me?" Nancy said in a quiet voice.

"You're all gonna die." Ruby told the group. "This is the only way, trust me."

Dean scoffed. "Yeah; yeah. There's no way I'm-"

"Would everybody please shut up?!" Nancy asked loudly. Everyone turned to look at her; surprised by her sudden outburst. "All the people out there...will it save them?"

"It'll blow the demons outta their bodies." Ruby told her. "So if their bodies are ok...yeah."

Nancy paused for a few moments before nodding defiantly. "I'll do it."

"No." Dean said immediately.

"Hell no." Henriksen cursed.

"You don't need to do this." Dean told Nancy.

"All my friends are out there." Nancy told them.

"We don't sacrifice people." Henriksen said firmly. "We do that we're no better than them."

"We don't have a choice." Ruby told them.

"Yeah, well your choice is not a choice." Dean snapped.



"Sam?" Ruby turned to him. "You know I'm right."

Dean looked to his little brother and a surprised look. "Sam." He said. His brother said nothing. "What the hell is going on? Sam; tell her!" He still said nothing.

"It's my decision." Nancy said.

Ruby smiled. "Damn straight; Cherry Pie."

"Stop!" Dean yelled. "Stop! Nobody kill any virgins!" The room fell silent. "Sam; I need to talk to you." He walked towards his brother and passed him into the hall. Sam followed.

Ruby nodded at Andie. "Wondered if I'd meet you again."

"Technically we've never met." Andie reminded her. "You just tortured me from afar using a demon posing as my dead mother and tried to make me kill myself." She gave her a simpering smile.

Ruby shrugged. "I likes me some power. And yours is a good 'un." She sighed. "So who shot you?"

"Some chick named Bela." Andie told her. "She's who we were chasing when we wound up here."

"She's got the colt?" Ruby asked.

Andie nodded. "And she specializes in stealing and dealing."

"Wonderful." Ruby closed her eyes tiredly.

Dean and Sam returned moments later with a new plan that would prevent them killing Nancy; open the doors and fight whatever came through. The plan was to let the demons come in and then play a recording of the depossession spell on the loudspeaker and play it throughout the station. Sam recorded the spell and then came out to Ruby, Dean and Andie.

"You get it to work?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "This is insane."

"Understatement of the year." Ruby muttered.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Look; we get it. You think-"

"I don't think." Ruby snapped. "I _know_. It's _not_ gonna work." She got up and walked towards the door. "So long ladies."

"So you're just gonna leave?" Sam asked her.

She turned around; anger in her eyes. "Hey! I was gonna kill myself to help you win. I'm not gonna stand here and watch you lose." She took a few steps towards Sam. "And I'm disappointed...because I tried. I really did. But clearly; I bid on the wrong horse." She paused. "Do you mind letting me out?"

Neither Sam nor Dean said anything. "I will." Andie offered. She then walked with Ruby towards the front door of the station. "Why are you so sure our plan won't work?" she asked her.

"Andie, honey, I'm a demon. So I _know_ demons. And even with your nifty power; it won't be enough to hold them." She jeered her head towards the outside of the station.

"Do you know why I'm not dead?" Andie asked Ruby suddenly. She didn't trust Ruby as far as she could telekinetically throw her but if she had answers; Andie was all ears.

"Nothing definitive." Ruby shrugged. "My experience? If you live through something that's _guaranteed_ to kill you; means there's something a whole lot bigger planned for you later on." She nodded towards the devil's cage on the floor. "Break me out; would ya?"

Andie quickly opened the cage and broke the salt shield just long enough for Ruby to leave then covered them all back up quickly. As it turned out; she needn't have. By the time she got back to the main office, Dean and Sam were already passing out orders to Henriksen, Amichi and Nancy; telling them what exits and doors to open up. Henriksen took the back exit while Officer Amichi and Nancy were sent up onto the roof to keep track of how many demons came in and when it looked like they were all inside; the two of them were supposed to seal of the station with salt. Sam took the double doors out towards the impound lot while Dean and Andie headed towards the front of the station.

"I'll take up there." Dean nodded towards the main entrance. "You take the back." He pointed towards the end of the hallway.

"Ok." Andie, who was armed with the smallest gun since she had her telekinesis, turned to leave but felt Dean's arm grab her wrist and spin her around. Before she knew it; he was kissing her. It was brief but tender. When he pulled away, Andie looked completely confused.

"Now its two-to-one." Dean smiled.

Andie grinned back as he let go of her wrist. She took a few steps back and then quickly jumped forward and pecked his cheek. "Three-to-one." She smiled before running off down the hall.


	29. Chapter 29: To The Death

_**The chapter follows the events of the episode Jus In Bello. Credit goes to the writers/creators of that episode.**_

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE**

**Day 190 continued**

'To The Death'

Andie took her place by the exit and held her handgun to her side. She realized as her brain stopped swirling slightly that she hadn't felt pain in her abdomen for an hour or two. The second she came to this realization; a searing pain shot through her body; as if reminding her that it wasn't going anywhere soon. She unlocked the devil's cage and kicked the salt out of the doorway and waited. For a few moments, nothing happened. And the station fell into a dull silence. Then all of a sudden she heard Dean's yell.

"Incoming!" He screamed followed by two loud gunshots as he gunned down two demons.

More gunshots from around the station sounded. Andie almost took her eyes off the door until a young blonde woman came charging in. Using her power, Andie tossed the woman so heavily against the wall the bricks shuddered. She seemed to have been the lookout for her group of demons because the second she hit the floor; three others streamed through the exit towards Andie. She used a hand each to toss two male demons to each side of the hall but she couldn't stop the Hispanic woman with evil black eyes who tackled her down easily. The woman breathed her hot breath on Andie's neck as she tried to strangle her. Andie managed to get her gun between her body and the woman's and fired two salt bullets into her middle. The woman was thrown back off Andie and onto the floor. The two male demons had recovered and came for her. Andie shot a salt bullet into one and tossed the other back out the door. She used the spare second she had to look back into the station; she saw Sam get tackled from behind by a black demon-man.

"Sam!" Andie yelled. She moved towards him but was tackled from behind herself by the demon she'd just thrown away.

Sam managed to break free of the demon on his back and elbow him in the jaw with the butt of this gun.

Dean killed two demons swiftly with his salt bullets and easily over-powered one with holy water. He could see Henriksen winning his battle and Sam who was surrounded but holding his own in the main office. He did not see Andie. "Andie?" He called out as another demon came towards him. He tried to punch him but Dean moved out of the way and the demon punched through a glass wall instead. "Andie!" He called again. He glanced behind him and saw a brunette demon running for him. The way that Dean was fighting with the demon who'd punched the glass; there was no way he could stop her. Then, before he knew it, the brunette was flying backwards through the air.

"Why are you yelling for me?" Andie snapped as she arrived in front of Dean, lowering her hand after using her power on the brunette. She aimed her gun at the demon and shot her full of salt.

Dean threw holy water on the demon he was fighting and he cowered away, covering his burning face. "Come on." Dean seized Andie's hand and pulled her into the main office to help Sam.

The three of them found themselves in the centre of all the demons; exhausting all their supply of salt bullets and holy water. The demons formed a unified group around the hunters and the girl Nancy had called Jenna stepped forwards towards Sam; her black eyes glinting and an evil smirk on her face. She then raised one palm and threw Sam and Dean so heavily back into the wall they both dropped their guns. She held them flat against the bricks with ease.



"NO!" Andie tried to use her power but Jenna used her other hand to toss Andie back out into the hall. Nine or ten demons followed her; blocking her path so she couldn't get to Sam and Dean. She didn't have time to feel the hideous pain in her abdomen as she fought; if she stopped they'd kill her.

"Henriksen; NOW!" Dean yelled as loud as he could.

A few moments later, Sam's voice rang out through the entire station over the loudspeaker as the depossession spell affected every demon in the building. They all appeared to be having a nightmarish fit; screaming and grabbing at their skulls. The all ran for the exits; banging on the doors to get out. But the salt barrier held. Andie backed away against the wall; sinking the ground and clutching her stomach. Soon all the demons were screaming as the black and purple smoke was expelled from their bodies. It seemed to collect in the air and swirl around like a giant, indoor storm cloud. Sam's speaker-spell concluded on one final note and the purplish smoke turned a violent shade of orange and exploded in a loud bang.

The power that was holding Sam and Dean up against the wall diminished and they both fell heavily to the ground; panting profusely. Both groaned in pain at their aching muscles as they got to their feet. Henriksen appeared with a bleeding lip but a satisfied smile. The three of them gazed around at the sea of bodies that lay in the station. The building went dark for a moment as the generator switched off and the main electricity came back on; flooding the rooms in light. The people started waking up, mostly unhurt but completely confused.

"Where's Andie?" Dean asked, scanning the room.

"Oh." Sam muttered as his eyes fell on her in the hallway; slumped on the floor.

Andie pushed herself up off the floor; her hand still clutching her middle. "Good God; that sucked."

"You alright?" Dean asked her as he came over.

Looking down; Andie noticed a red stain seeping through her light blue t-shirt. She lifted it up and revealed her gaping bullet wound; stitches in tatters. "Dean; I've been better." She said sarcastically.

"Come on." Dean helped her to the main office and found her a clean towel to hold against her wound for the moment.

The people who lived through their demonic possession started getting to their feet with the same confused expression on their faces. Nancy consoled them; trying to keep them calm. She did a good job of it, too. Sam helped Andie with her injury then joined his brother in collecting the weapons that were still usable.

"I better call in." Henriksen said as he, Sam and Dean gathered up the remaining guns. "Helluva story I won't be telling."

"So what are you gonna tell them?" Sam inquired.

"The least ridiculous lie I can come up with in the next five minutes." Henriksen smiled.

"Good luck with that." Dean nodded at him. "Not to pressure you; or anything, but what are you planning to do with us?"

"I'm gonna kill you." Henriksen said seriously. "Sam and Dean Winchester were in the chopper when it caught on fire. Nothing's left. Can't even identify 'em with dental records." He nodded over at Andie who was taking it easy in a desk chair. "Andrea Morgan was standing nearby the chopper when it blew; she was killed instantly." Sam and Dean both smiled while Andie offered a tired thumbs-up. "Rest in peace, guys." Henriksen added. Then he shook both brother's hands. "Now get outta here."



"Yeah." Sam nodded as he slung on his shoulder bag.

Dean held his hands out to Andie. "Let's go, darlin'." He said as he gently pulled her to her feet. "I got some painkillers with your name on 'em."

"Yay." Andie mumbled as she let Dean lift her to her feet. As they exited; Andie turned her head and pointed at Henriksen. "Oh; if after all of this you still really need to bust somebody? I know a bartender who spits in his beer."

**xxx**

Back at their motel; Dean stitched up Andie's wound once more. She loaded up on over-the-counter painkillers and sat up in Dean's bed surrounded in pillows. It was the first time since she'd been with the brothers that she'd not been confined to the rollaway bed. She didn't mind being the injured one for a change; it meant the brother's doted on her a teensy bit. Dean even made her tea.

"Feeling better?" He asked her as he set the mug down on the bedside table.

Andie nodded and frowned. "A little. Hell; it could be worse. It _should_ be worse."

"Ruby say anything about why you're still around?" Dean asked.

Andie thought a moment. She could tell him the truth. But the truth was she didn't even really know what Ruby had meant when she said there was something in her future she had to live for. That could mean anything. And if she told Dean then he'd want to figure out what it was. And Andie, as well as Sam, was focused on saving Dean from his death contract. So she chose the safer option and shook her head. "She's as clueless as us."

Dean nodded; about to say more when a loud knock at the door silenced him. He looked to his brother who returned his curious expression. Dean, Sam and Andie glanced at each other. Eventually Dean got to his feet and answered the door.

Ruby walked in with an air of annoyance around her. She glanced at Andie as she came in. "Feeling better?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Turn on the news." She spat at Sam."

Dean shut the door and sat on the bed near Andie as Sam clicked on the TV with the remote by his bed. Ruby stood with her arms folded in front of the three of them.

"The community is still reeling from the tragedy that happened just a few hours ago." The reporters' voice spoke from the screen. The headline under her name read _Breaking News: Explosion at Monument County Sheriff's Office._ She stood in front of the smoldering remains of the police station Sam, Dean and Andie had escaped from earlier that morning. "Authorities believe a gas main ruptured causing the massive explosion that ripped apart the police station and claimed the lives of everyone inside. Among the deceased; at least six police officers and staff including Sheriff Melvin Dodd, Deputy Phil Amichi and Secretary Nancy Fitzgerald. As well as three FBI agents identified as Steven Groves, Calvin Reedy and Victor Henriksen. Two male fugitives and a female witness in custody were also killed. We'll continue to follow the story here at the scene but for now; it's back to you, Tim."

Ruby turned off the television set and looked expectantly at Sam, Dean and Andie.

"Must've happened right after we left." Sam reasoned.

"Considering the size of the blast; smart money's on Lilith." Ruby pulled three small satchel's out of her pocket and tossed them to Sam and Dean.

"What's in these?" Dean asked.

"Something that'll protect you; throw Lilith off your trail. For the time being, at least." Ruby tossed the last satchel to Andie. "You as well, sweetheart, seeing as you're one of these guys now."

"Thanks." Sam told her.

"Don't thank me!" Ruby snapped. "Lilith killed everyone. She slaughtered your precious little virgin as well as a half-a-dozen other people. So after your big speech about humanity and war turns out your plan; was the one with the body count." She looked from Sam to Dean; they wore the same guilty expression. "Do you know how to fight a battle? You strike fast and you don't leave any survivors so no one can go running to tell the boss. So next time? We go with _my_ plan." With that she turned and left; slamming the door as she did so.

Sam, Dean and Andie all looked at each other with guilty faces.

"What do we do now?" Andie asked quietly.

Dean stared menacingly at the blank TV screen. "We track down Bela."

**xxx**


	30. Chapter 30: Wayward Sons & Daughter

**CHAPTER THIRTY**

**Day 200**

'Wayward Sons & Daughter'

Andie was so used to the ache in her abdomen that she could almost block it out – almost. Getting out of bed was still one of the hardest things to do; she never realized how many stomach muscles it actually used. Andie awkwardly walked across the floor to the bathroom trying not to swear too loud and wake Sam and Dean. Splashing cold water on her face, Andie looked at herself in the mirror and saw that sleepless nights were catching up with her. She wasn't a still sleeper by habit but now every motion tugged at her wound which would wake her up. Her tiredness was evident all over her face. Her eyes were sunken and had bags under them, her skin was grayish in color and her whole face looked older.

Thinking that coffee may wake her up, Andie shuffled towards the small kitchen. Clicking on the kettle Andie found herself falling into the counter. Her head spun as she steadied herself. _Come on, Andie, _she said to herself, shaking her head a couple of times. She turned and walked to the fridge; her abdomen stung as though someone had just punched her and she flopped into the door of the fridge.

"Hey, Andie, you alright?" Dean asked as he entered the kitchen rubbing the back of his head. "I heard you banging around in here…"

Andie shook her head again and grabbed the milk out of the fridge. "Yeah; sorry." She replied; walking as steadily as she could back to the kettle. "I'm just tired."

"Really?" Dean cocked his head. "You slept for like twelve hours."

A wave of dizziness came over Andie again and she automatically put her hand to her head.

"Andie?" Dean arrived beside her and grabbed her elbow. He glanced at her up and down. "You look like hell."

Andie smiled tiredly. "Thanks." She muttered, stirring her coffee. She and Dean had been flirting around the concept of becoming a couple for the past week or so but the constant interruptions of Andie's wound, finding Bela and saving Dean; nothing had really happened between them yet. The chemistry was there but they just couldn't seem to work things out just yet. Picking up her cup; Andie headed out of the kitchen. "I think I'll go back to bed for a bit."

"Ok." Dean nodded concernedly as she patted his chest and left the room. He noticed she even walked slowly; tiredly. Since she'd been shot Andie had been getting weaker. She hadn't been able to hunt as well; she couldn't be on her feet too long without getting tired. Dean assumed it was a side effect of the colt but seeing as how she was the first and only being to survive it he had no basis for comparison.

Dean began making his own coffee when he heard the sound of something smashing to the floor followed by a heavy thud. Dean's heart sank as his head jerked towards the bedroom. "Andie?" he bolted into the bedroom; she was lying in a lump beside her bed. "Andie!" He was on the floor beside her a second later. He turned to his brother who was still sleeping. "Sam! _Sam_!"

"What?" Sam sat up quickly; hearing the urgency in his brother's voice. Then he saw Andie. "What happened?" He scurried out of bed and knelt beside his brother.

"I dunno." Dean rolled Andie onto her back; her face was shock white and her lips were bluish in color. Dean pressed his ear up against her mouth. "She's not breathing; call 911. _Now_!"

**xxx**

Sam and Dean waited as close to Andie's room as they were allowed to. The doctor's managed to get her breathing again but that's all they would tell the brothers. After three or so hours; Andie's doctor, Dr Thomas, came out into the hall.

"Dr. Thomas?" Dean got to his feet and greeted the man.

"Mr Gregson." The doctor nodded at him. Sam and Dean, having been "killed" by the blast at the sheriff's station in Monument, had gone with the names JD Gregson and AJ Morris; Andie's, or Trisha's, cousins.

"How is she?" Sam asked as he joined his brother.

"Stable." Dr Thomas nodded. "When did you say she was shot?"

"About a week ago." Dean lied. He knew Andie's wound wasn't healing and that it looked more recent than it actually was.

"And you didn't seek treatment for it?" Dr Thomas questioned them.

"She seemed fine…" Sam mumbled uselessly. "She wasn't bleeding."

"The damage to her outer body is only the tip of the iceberg." Dr Thomas told them. "The bullet hit her spleen and nicked her lung; both of which caused a slow internal bleed. We removed her spleen and-"

"She can have mine." Dean said immediately. "We're the same blood type."

Dr Thomas held up a hand. "That's not necessary; her body will recover without her spleen. The damage to her lungs is most likely what caused her fatigue and her collapse."

"Her body will recover, though." Sam repeated what the doctor had said. "So she'll be ok?"

Dr Thomas sighed. "Under normal circumstances she would."

"What does that mean?" Dean asked.

"There's something else…" Dr Thomas started. "But we can't identify what. It seems she has some kind of infection or poison in her system. We don't know what it is; we can't identify it…but it's preventing her body from healing."

"So you can't treat it." Dean surmised; his heart sinking.

"We're running more tests." Dr Thomas said. "Hopefully we'll have more information in a couple of hours."

"Can we see her?" Sam asked.

Dr Thomas nodded.

**xxx**

Dean and Sam entered Andie's room and saw her tired body lying still as stone. She looked so small. Sam walked over and stood beside her while Dean hung by the door. "It's the bullet; isn't it?" Sam spoke up. "The thing that's poisoning her. It has to be. No way she survived with no consequences; we were stupid to think that she would."

Dean nodded. "Bobby'll be here soon." He said. They'd called him while they waiting for the ambulance. "Maybe he knows something…"

"He didn't know why she survived a bullet from the colt; why would he know how to help now?" Sam asked in a harsh whisper.

"Well, what else can we do, Sammy?" Dean snapped back as he took a few long strides towards his brother. "_We_ can't save her."

"What about Ruby?" Sam said suddenly; an idea forming in his mind.

"What about her?" Dean asked wryly.

"She's a demon so she might know what's happening." Sam offered.

"Maybe but Sam you are not going after her until we know what's going on." Dean told him.

"What's going on?" Sam repeated. "What's going on is Andie's dying." He paused. "I thought you of all people would want to save her."

"You don't think I want to…" Dean trailed off; not wanting to argue in front of Andie. "Just wait and see what Bobby has to say, alright?"

**xxx**

Andie woke up feeling better than she'd ever felt. The grass under her body was soft and cool; the sun was beating down on her, covering her in a warming glow. The sky was an unimaginable blue with a few fluffy, white clouds scattered across the horizon. Getting to her feet Andie realized she was wearing a bland, cotton hospital gown and she was also barefoot.

"Hey Andie." A very familiar male voice said behind her.

Andie turned and saw Dean smiling at her. But was a very different Dean then the one Andie was familiar with. He wore a bright yellow collared shirt with tailored khaki pants and his hair was smartly cut and smoothed back slightly on his head. He looked like a much more carefree version of himself. "Dean…" Andie shook her head and smiled. "Now I know I'm dreaming." She laughed. "Why are you wearing that?"

Dean walked towards her and looked down at his outfit. "You're the one who wanted me to wear it."

"What?" Andie asked.

"It's your fantasy." Dean shrugged with a grin. "Well; your reality actually."

"So in my dream slash reality I'm wearing a seedy hospital gown?" She asked. Dean gave her a knowing look and gestured to her outfit. Andie looked down and saw her gown was gone and she wore a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt and Converse sneakers. "Ohh…k." She muttered.

"Don't be scared, Andie." Dean told her. "Nothing bad can happen to you here. In fact; just the opposite."

Andie turned and looked at her surroundings realizing for the first time in weeks she felt no pain in her stomach. Lifting up her shirt, Andie's thoughts were confirmed; her injury was gone. There was no bruising, no scar or stitches; nothing but skin. "What's going on?" Andie asked Dean with worry. "What is this?"



"_This_." Dean gestured to the beautiful, scenic surroundings. "Is what your life could be like." He smiled. "For good."


	31. Chapter 31: Safety On The Horizon

**CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE**

**Day 201**

'Safety On The Horizon'

When Bobby arrived at the hospital his arms were full of books. He dumped them on the table in Andie's room and he and the brothers spent an hour in silence searching through them.

"I'm not finding anything about demonic poisons, Bobby." Dean said as he chucked another book down and rubbed his eyes.

"Same here." Sam agreed.

"There ain't a lotta lore on it, boys, sorry to say." Bobby sighed.

"Maybe that's because there isn't any…" Dean mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked him.

"I mean what if Bela did something to the colt? Changed the bullet or something? Made it so Andie wouldn't die straight away…" Dean leant forwards on his knees.

Bobby considered his thought. "Explains why she didn't die…but it's damn near impossible to change the work up of the colt and I got no idea what Bela would do to it to make it poison…wouldn't even know where to start looking." He sighed. "But on the other hand, Bela's never done anythin' like this before. She ain't a hunter…I don't get why she'd shoot your girl here." He nodded at Andie's still unconscious body.

"I still say we go to Ruby." Sam spoke up. "She's gotta have some information, right? I mean demons know demons; _she _said that."

"For the last time, Sam, no." Dean snapped.

"Don't be so quick to shoot him down, son." Bobby told Dean. "He might have a point."

"You're serious?" Dean raised his eyebrows at him.

"Ya can't be any worse off than ya are now." Bobby told him carefully.

Dean paused. "Even if she _does_ know something, how are we meant to find her? She's always just shown up."

"I think I can find her." Sam offered. "Dean; let me do this. I think I can help Andie. More importantly I _want_ to help her."

"I'll go with ya." Bobby got to his feet and gave the book he was thumbing through to Dean. "You keep lookin."

After they left Dean shuffled his chair closer to Andie's bed with a few books in his hands. He looked carefully at her face; looking for any sign that she was perhaps just sleeping; not unconscious. But her blank expression gave him nothing. "Wish you'd wake up, Morgan." Dean muttered. "This'd be so much easier with you here."

**xxx**

Andie walked with Dean along a long, forgotten highway. But even that seemed better than before. Everything in this place had a silent beauty about it that made Andie extremely happy to be there. Dean was different as well, but a good kind of different. He laughed more, he smiled more and he had an ease to his personality that Andie was enjoying being around.



"I still don't understand." Andie said as they walked. "Did I invent this place in my head or something?"

"Or something." Dean smiled.

"And why are _you _here?" She asked.

Dean shrugged. "You put me here."

"But you're not Dean." Andie laughed shortly. "I mean, you _are_ Dean but you're not the same Dean."

"Andie, I'm the Dean you want me to be." He told her with a grin. "I'm happier, less aggravating and no longer in that little demonic one-year-to-live deal."

Andie stopped walking. "You're not dying?"

"Not here." Dean told her happily. "Everything here is what _you_ want it to be. And it'll always be that way. No more demons. No more death. Sounds good, right?"

"Too good." Andie agreed. "What's the catch?"

"There isn't one. You just have to want to stay here." Dean told her.

"This isn't one of those things where I agree and everything turns into a demonic hell or something is it?" Andie asked sardonically.

Dean laughed. "No; nothing like that. What's the last thing you remember before you woke up?"

"Um, I was making coffee and got really dizzy. I think I fainted." Andie shook her head at the fuzzy memory.

"Yeah; you're in hospital right now." Dean told her.

"Because of the colt bullet." Andie sighed. "Wait; then how do I know all of this isn't a side effect?" She gestured to the horizon.

Dean laughed a little. "Yeah; that'd be right. Demon bullet gives you a perfect world?"

"Yeah, well, I've seen weirder." Andie smiled. "So…what's here? Or do we just walk along talking for the rest of eternity?"

"We'll get there soon." Dean assured her.

"Where?"

"You tell me." Dean smiled cheekily.

"Did I really want this Dean to be _this_ mysterious?" Andie asked him.

"Apparently." Dean laughed.

**xxx**

Ruby rocked back and forth on her chair. "Gotta tell ya Sammy I am just tickled you came all this way to see me."

"Andie's sick." Sam told her. It hadn't taken as long as he'd thought to find Ruby. Bobby had talked to a few other hunters he knew and they'd sent them North. When they'd stopped for gas; there Ruby was waiting for them in the empty café beside the petrol pumps.



"Aw, sad." Ruby frowned. "I'm surprised Dean didn't sell his soul to the Crossroads demon to save her. Oh wait; he already did that, didn't he?" She smiled. "How long's he got left; five months?"

"Ruby; drop the act. I know you know how to help her." Sam snapped.

Ruby stopped rocking in her chair and stood up. "Oh, I do, do I?"

"You have to know something." Sam told her. "Demons know."

"You seem to know a lot about us." Ruby smirked. "Alright, because you're just too cute I'll help you out."

"What's wrong with her?" Sam asked. "How can the colt be poison?"

"It's not. You know as well as I do it's a demon death gun and nothing more." Ruby told him with tired eyes. "What's killing your girl Andie is an elixir called Peressola; has to be injected into an open wound to work. Which means resident bitch Bela probably stuck it in her after she shot her. Might also explain why the colt didn't kill her but, hey, I don't know the specifics."

"Bela?" Sam shook his head. "She's not a hunter. How'd she get it? I mean, I've never even heard of Pere-whatever."

"Peressola." Bobby spoke up. "I have. It's ancient; there ain't no lore about it. Word-of-mouth drug only…but you can't get it anymore."

"You're half-right, Bob-O." Ruby told him. "It can't be made, the ingredients no longer exist. But there's still some out there. So since Bela's a seller of ancient demonic nick-knacks you can bet she knows where to get it."

"You'll help us save her?" Sam asked hopefully.

"You can't save her." Ruby told him. "Sorry Sammy but that's just how it goes. Once it's done you can't reverse it."

"Then what the hell good are you!" Sam snapped.

"Quiet down, Prisilla." Ruby rolled her eyes. "I said _you_ can't save her. And on that note neither can I. But she can save herself. Poetic, right?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"It all comes down to choices, Sammy." Ruby told him. "You just gotta help her make the right one."

"You mean so she wakes up?" Sam asked confusedly.

"If that's the right choice; then sure." Ruby nodded. "Thing is; she might not be as eager as you to come back."


	32. Chapter 32: Heaven Is A Place On Earth

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO**

**Day 201 continued**

'Heaven Is A Place On Earth'

"Dean; calm down." Sam told his brother as they stood just outside Andie's hospital room.

"I'll kill her, Sam." Dean was fuming. "I will _kill_ her."

"We don't know what happened out there." Sam reminded him.

"So, what, you're saying Bela had a good reason for not only shooting Andie but injecting her with a poison that's killing her?"

"No; course not." Sam snapped. "But something happened when those two met and we need to figure out what it was!"

"We need to save Andie first." Dean said firmly. "She's getting worse."

"Ruby said that she has to make the choice." Sam shrugged.

"Then we gotta help her make the right one." Dean reasoned. "So, what, her spirit is somewhere else? Like another plane or something?"

"That's what Ruby said." Sam nodded.

"How do we get there?" Dean asked.

"We can't." Sam sighed. "Ruby said Andie's gotta make the choice."

Dean was bewildered. "What—to live or to die?" He laughed. "Come on, Sammy, that's crazy. She's not gonna choose to die."

Sam shrugged. "What if where she is now is better than here?"

**xxx**

"I didn't know I liked nature this much." Andie noted as she looked around the waterfall she and Dean were sitting by.

"I did." Dean told her.

Andie looked up at his happy, unencumbered face. She liked this Dean so much. "I don't think I've gone this long with the other Dean without him saying something sexist or rude or childish…" she shook her head.

"That's the beauty of it." Dean told her. "I'm just how you want me." With that he leant in and kissed her deeply.

**xxx**

Dean flipped the table in front of Ruby over, intending to startle her but apparently just irritating her. "Tell me how to get there!" He yelled.

"Dean; this is not the way to treat a lady." Ruby simpered.

"Lady?" Dean scoffed. "Don't give me that crap."



"This from a man who wants my help?" Ruby shook her head. She nodded at Sam. "Baby; talk some sense into your brother, would ya?"

"How can I save Andie?" Dean asked through gritted teeth.

Ruby drew in a sarcastic breath. "I already told Sam; _you can't save her_. She has to save herself, duh."

"This place she is; this plane or whatever?" Dean continued. "How can I get there?"

"You don't wanna do that." Ruby asked. "You'd interfere with her mental reality; it could totally screw her up; turn her heaven into a perfect hell."

Dean paused. "So there is a way?"

"Yes, there's a way." Ruby sighed. "But there are zero guarantees."

"How?" Dean demanded.

"The drug." Ruby shrugged. "You'll need to ingest it along with some of her blood so you'll be taken to _her_ mental reality. Or unreality as the case may be. It's all very Twilight Zone."

Sam almost laughed. "You said it was ancient; where are we gonna…"

Ruby pulled a vial on a chain out of her pocket that stopped Sam mid-sentence. "Would you look at that?"

"You had that this whole time?" Sam asked bewildered.

"To be fair sweetie you never asked me if I had any." Ruby replied sweetly.

"Give it to me." Dean told her.

"Yeah; I'll get right on that." Ruby pocketed the vial. "Eye for an eye, boys. That's how I roll."

"What do you want?" Dean asked. Ruby very obviously _pretended_ to think. "Come on; we don't have time for this-"

"I want Sam." Ruby cut in.

"What?" both brothers asked in unison.

"Don't be so flattered, honey." Ruby said to Sam's almost flattered eyes. "Not for that. If I wanted you as a toy-boy we'd be doin' the nasty right now."

"Why do you want Sam?" Dean asked; anger rising in his throat. He had to give up Sam to save Andie? That'd be right.

"Dean; you're clock is ticking." Ruby reminded him. "Sam needs to be ready to fight this war on his own and that ain't happening because you are so damn protective of him."

"You're not taking my brother." Dean told her firmly; balling his fists.

"Oh; don't be like that, Dean." Ruby simpered. "I don't want him dead. Very much the opposite, actually. I want him to win. And I can teach him how but I can't do that with you wanting to patch up his boo-boo's every three seconds."

Sam thought carefully. "Dean." He said quietly.



Dean recognized that tone in his brother's voice. "No, Sammy; you're not going anywhere with her."

"It's the only way to save Andie." Sam told him carefully.

"No; the way to save Andie is to get that vial." Dean pointed at Ruby menacingly. "I could always kill you."

"Yes; you could." Ruby nodded. "But you won't. We do it my way and no one gets hurt. Hell, Andie can even join Sammy and me when you've kicked the bucket, Dean."

Dean scoffed. "You're _un_-believable."

"Thank you." Ruby smiled.

"And what if you're lying?" Dean asked her with his arms out. "What if that drug doesn't save Andie?"

"I never said the drug would _save_ her." Ruby reminded them; closing her eyes. "It won't. It'll take you _to_ her. That's all. The rest is on your broad shoulders, Dean." She paused. "But if I am lying and this drug doesn't take you to Andie; then I won't take Sammy. How's that for a fair deal?"

Sam turned to his brother. "Dean; I want Andie to get out of this."

"No; dammit." Dean shook his head furiously.

Having made up his mind, Sam turned to Ruby. "I'll do it."

"NO!" Dean roared.

"And the deal is done." Ruby chucked the vial of Peressola at Dean. "_If_ Andie wakes up I'll come collect Sammy. If not; I guess I'll see you when I see you." She winked at him. "Nice doing business with you boys." She turned and walked away.

"Sam." Dean turned his brother around and stared him down. "You can't do this."

"Dean, it'll be fine." Sam said easily. "Not only can she save Andie but I know she knows how to save you, too; I can wear her down. Trust me; I'll be back in time to get you out of this deal; I promise."

"You can't promise that." Dean felt angry tears form behind his eyes.

Sam nodded at the vial in his brother's hands. "Dean; we gotta job to do."

**xxx**


	33. Chapter 33: Choice & Consequence

**CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE**

Day 202

'Choice & Consequence'

Bobby withdrew Andie's blood without incident. Dean was too angry at his little brother to focus. "I can't believe you, Sam."

"You sold your soul for me." Sam countered. "I don't remember you asking _my _permission."

"This is different." Dean snapped.

"Yeah; it's better!" Sam snapped back. "I'm not gonna die; I'm not gonna lose my soul. The two reasons I'm going are to save both you and Andie; how can you be mad about that?"

"How?! Because you'll be shacking up with a demon!" Dean yelled.

"Boys; keep it down; would ya?" Bobby said in a loud whisper. "Last thing we needs for them to toss us out on our asses." He set the vial of Andie's blood beside the Peressola on the table by the window.

"Bobby-" Dean began.

"I know; what your brother did ain't smart but he's right; neither's what you did with your soul." Bobby said in an even voice. "Now if you wanna save this girl I suggest you do it now."

Dean looked from Andie to his brother; torn. He ran his hand over his face and took a few breaths. If he didn't do this Andie would die. If he did; Sam was going to go off with Ruby; it was like Sophie's Choice.

"Dean." Sam spoke up. "Go."

Dean huffed and grabbed the vial of Peressola. He poured some of Andie's blood in it and shook it. He took a deep breath and then downed the whole vial. It tasted like pure gasoline. Dean gagged and coughed; his throat felt like it was on fire.

"Dean?" Sam grabbed his brothers' shoulder to steady him.

"I'm ok." Dean coughed. He shook his head and stood up straight. "Man..." he looked to Sam and Bobby. "I don't feel any-" then he collapsed straight to the floor.

**xxx**

Andie and Dean walked arm in arm across a wide, grassy plane full of bright yellow sunflowers. For some reason, both of their outfits had changes once again. Dan wore black tailored pants and a white collared shirt while Andie wore a soft pink sundress with ruffles just above her knees.

"Would it kill me to want a TV?" Andie asked Dean as they walked. "Not that I don't love the outdoors."

Dean laughed. "You want TV; you'll get TV." He draped an arm over her shoulder and kissed her temple.

Twenty or so feet away, the other Dean woke up with a gasp. He could no longer taste the disgusting potion he'd ingested but he had a killer headache. Around him he saw colorful flowers and above him was a stunning, blue sky. Getting to his feet, Dean couldn't help but feel completely out of place. His dirty jeans and scuffed boots coupled with his much-loved leather jacket and stained t-shirt didn't exactly fit the perfect surroundings. The sound of Andie's light laugh caught Dean's ear making him spin swiftly on his feet. He saw her; gorgeous as ever, moving away from him up ahead in the arms of another man. "Andie!" he screamed.



Andie turned around and saw Dean; another Dean, running towards her. "Dean?!" she yelped, shrugging the well-groomed Dean's arm off her shoulder. "What—how—what's going on?"

Dean locked eyes with the man beside Andie and realized he was staring at himself only clean shaven and in fancier clothes. "Weird." He mumbled. "Andie; that's not me."

"I know that." Andie said with a smile. "He's a different you; a you I created, isn't that cool?"

"Whatever; you gotta come with me." Dean pressed; stamping over the sunflowers with his heavy boots as he made his way to her.

"You don't have to go anywhere, Andie." Clean-cut Dean told her, taking her hand.

"Hey; buddy; why don't you let the lady make up her own mind?" Dean said defensively; still bewildered that now he was arguing with himself.

"Dean; stop fighting with…Dean." Andie told them.

"Andie; you gotta come back." Dean told her.

"Why? What happened?" Andie asked; suddenly concerned. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop with this whole perfect world deal.

"You're dying is what's happening." Dean said loudly.

"Yeah; I know." Andie sighed. "But if I die I come here..."

Dean furrowed his brow; not believing what he was hearing. "So you're actually gonna _choose_ to die?!" He yelled.

"Quit yelling at her." Dean yelled to his more aggravated self.

"Can it, Romeo!" Dean snapped back.

"Dean!" Andie yelled.

"What?" Both replied.

Andie shook her head a little. "No; that Dean." She pointed to grubby Dean ahead of her and walked towards him. "Look…I know it sounds crazy but there are no demons here and no death…"

"Yeah; but…Andie, do you really wanna leave it all behind?" Dean held his arms out at his sides as he stood right up to her. "I mean about Bela; don't you wanna track her down? What about all the people you could save? What about me? And Sam?" He added.

"Look…" Andie sighed. "That's what _used_ to matter. But here...I dunno it's like...it's like I don't remember all that stuff."

"Well then remember." Dean grabbed her behind the neck and pulled her mouth onto his.

With Dean's kiss came it brought with it everything Andie had pushed out of her mind. All the demons she'd fought and won against, losing her mother but then with the help of the brothers; breaking free of her guilt, getting shot by Bela but then being brought back to Dean and Sam. Every part of her life, all the bad and all the very good that followed, snapped back into Andie's mind. When she pulled away from Dean she had tears in her eyes.

"Andie?" The other Dean called to her from behind them. She turned to him. "You only have one choice."



Looking between both Dean's Andie had never been more confused and certain in her life. But still how could she tell Dean no? She looked between them before feeling a forgotten always familiar pain in her abdomen. She winced and looked down at herself. Her dress was gone. The white t-shirt she wore had blood seeping through it. She lifted it up and saw her bruise back in business; rainbow of ugly colours and all.

Dean had never been more relieved to see Andie in pain.

**xxx**

Sam jumped out of his skin when both Andie and Dean awoke suddenly and simultaneously. "Dean?" He put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Son of a bitch." Andie said through gritted teeth; she'd awoken and sat straight up which had apparently used every stomach muscle she had; her wound hurt more than ever. She held a hand to it tentatively.

"Andie." Sam was at her side. "You ok?"

"Define ok." Andie said wincing.

Bobby helped Dean out of the chair they'd sat him in. "You alright, son?" He slapped his face a couple of times.

"Yeah; awesome." Dean shrugged Bobby off.

"So the colt gives me a perfect heaven?" Andie asked Bobby. "What's with that?"

"Wasn't the colt." Bobby told her. Then he explained the ins and outs of Peressola to her.

"So not only did Bela shoot me but she poisoned me." Andie scoffed.

"You gonna tell us why?" Bobby folded his arms over his chest. "It ain't just self-defense; that girl wanted you to suffer."

Suddenly all the lights around them started to flicker. The door banged open and Ruby strutted into the room.

"Hey boys." She nodded at Andie. "Sweetheart."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Andie snapped.

"Didn't they tell you?" She gestured to Sam and Dean. "They made a little trade. To send Dean to your little happy-happy world; Sam's coming with me."

"Coming where?" Andie asked.

"To train up." Ruby turned to Sam. "Let's go; handsome."

"Wait; what?" Andie shrugged off her covers and got up; ignoring her abdominal pain. "What did you do?" She accused Dean.

"Hey; I saved you." Dean retorted. "But it wasn't my idea; he's as stubborn as a gay mule." He nodded at his brother.

"It's alright; guys." Sam told them all. He put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I'll be fine. And I'll be back." He nodded at Bobby and Andie. "Don't worry about me."

"Alright; let's move or I'll vomit." Ruby said, turning on her heel.

Sam looked at his family one more time before trailing behind Ruby.

"Sam." Dean followed him out into the hall and wrapped him up in a manly hug. "Be careful; ya hear me?"

"Course." Sam slapped his brother on the back.

Dean waited until Ruby and Sam were completely out of sight before he went back into Andie's bedroom. She was unsuccessfully trying to pull on her jeans.

"What do you think you're doing?" Dean asked her.

"Going after Sam." Andie replied.

"Sweetheart; take a seat." Bobby said, pulling on her elbow.

"Yeah, Morgan, take it easy." Dean echoed.

Dr. Thomas chose that moment to walk into the room. "Ms. Morris!" She yelped; citing the fake name Dean and Sam had checked her in under.

"Morris?" Andie looked up at her confused.

"Yeah; Trisha Morris; that's your name, remember?" Dean gave her an urgent look.

Andie nodded slowly. "Right; sure." She looked at Dr. Thomas and waved a hand at her. "Doc; I'm fine. And I have to get out of here."

"No, no, no." Dr. Thomas shook her head and helped Dean and Bobby get her back into bed. "I was here an hour ago and you were unconscious. You were dying."

"And now I'm fine." Andie replied.

"No; you're staying here until I run more tests." Dr Thomas said firmly. "Don't make me restrain you."

"Not necessary." Dean spoke up. "I'll keep her here."

Dr Thomas seemed to take his word for it so she withdrew some more blood and left them alone. Bobby told them he was going to stay close to Ruby and Sam; keep an eye on them from a distance. With a promise that he'd let them know if he got wind of Bela he left the room.

Dean pulled a chair right up to Andie's bedside and leant against her mattress. "You ok?"

"Yeah." Andie sighed blankly, fiddling with her blankets.

"Spill." Dean told her.

"Just trying to come to terms with some stuff." She replied shrugging.

"Like?" Dean pressed.

Andie paused before answering. "Like how you were the only other person in my heaven." She smiled and shook her head. "I mean if I had chosen to stay there…I would've been with that _Dean_ forever. It's just a little scary."

"So you coulda chosen the perfect Dean and instead you choose me." Dean thought aloud. "It's heartwarming. Stupid but heartwarming."

"I did." Andie said quietly.

"What?" Dean cocked his head in her direction.

"I did choose the perfect Dean." She smiled at him. "Flaws and all. Dean; one of the things I love about you is how messed up you are. Makes me seem less crazy...and it's always entertaining."

Dean paused; replaying what she'd just said in his mind. "You love me?" He asked with a cheeky smile.

Andie had never wanted out of a moment so fast. "Alright; enough of this cheesy-ass moment; get me a beer?" she said quickly.

"Yeah; well, first things first." He got to his feet and yanked back her bad covers. "We gotta bust Trisha outta here." He held is hands out to her.

"You're busting me out? Awesome." Andie took his hands and let him help her to her feet. With a bit of coaxing she convinced him to turn his back while she changed out of her hospital gown and then the two of them cleared up any supernatural clutter they'd left behind; including the Peressola vile. "You're gonna have to explain to me exactly what this crap was." Andie asked

"Later." Dean said; shrugging on his bag. "Let's go; quickly, come on."

The halls were free of doctors so Dean and Andie managed to get out the back to the Impala without being seen. Though Andie didn't feel they were safe until an hour later when they were soaring down the Dalesford Highway with nothing ahead of or behind them. Andie felt so strange sitting beside Dean; it was Sam's seat. She had always been confined to the back of Dean's beloved car. She could tell he missed his brother; he kept his eyes on the road and didn't say much.

A rundown but still functioning gas station was the first sign of civilization Andie and Dean had seen in two hours. Pulling the Impala to a stop in front of the gas pumps, Andie went inside to pay for fuel, food, shampoos, etc that they were running low on. When she came out she spied Dean mid-yawn. For the first time she noticed how exhausted he looked.

"Hey; want me to drive for awhile?" Andie offered. "You look like hell."

Dean shook his head. "I'm fine."

"Yeah; I don't buy it. I'm a good driver, Dean. I won't hurt the damn thing." Andie said with a smile. "Besides I've been asleep for like a day."

Dean held her gaze for a moment. She'd saved his life in the past, sure, but driving his car was a privilege. One that he only really trusted Sam with. On the other hand; it was Andie. "Fine." He clicked the petrol box closed and climbed into the passenger's seat.

"Ooh; my first time driving the Impala." Andie quipped as she climbed in behind the wheel. "I feel so naughty."

"Don't mess up my ass-print." Dean warned her. "It's taken me years to get it that way."

"And on that note; let's get moving." Andie clicked over the engine and roared the car out of the gas station.

**xxx**

A few hours after the sun had set; Andie and Dean were checking into a motel both desperate for sleep. Dean let Andie shower first and unpacked his duffle bag. He also tried calling Sam on his cell phone but got no answer.

"Sam's not answering." Dean said as Andie exited the bathroom in light blue flannel pajama pants and a black t-shirt that hemmed just above her belly button.



"Ruby probably took his phone." Andie surmised as she dried her hair with a towel. "Or made him chuck it."

Dean mumbled something inaudible to Andie and then head into the bathroom. She unpacked her much lighter knapsack. The bulk of her possessions, including her mother's journal, had been on the back of her bike, Jeremy, when Bela had shot her. Andie didn't hold much hope that she'd see any of them again. But she had all she needed; a couple of pairs of jeans and t-shirts as well as the pajamas from the hospital that she'd taken with her. There wasn't really much else she needed. Hearing the bathroom door open Andie turned to ask Dean if he'd seen her watch but was speechless when she realized he was shirtless. Not able to take her eyes of his damp, tanned and toned chest it wasn't long before Dean noticed he was being perved on.

"Take a picture, Morgan." Dean said with a smirk. "I feel all exposed."

Andie laughed. "I'm just wondering why I didn't make you shirtless in my dream world." She quipped as he pulled a white singlet over his head. "No; don't destroy my view."

Dean laughed. "So…which bed do you want?" He asked her.

Andie folded her arms. "What does that mean?"

"What do you mean 'What does that mean'?" he asked; mimicking her stance and folding his arms over his chest.

"Well, do you mean which bed do I want or...do I want to sleep alone...or not?" she asked with a wry grin.

Dean straightened his back and held a lingering gaze with her eyes. He took one step towards her and she did the same; that was the only signal Dean needed. He quickened his step towards Andie and she followed. They met in a kiss that rivaled every one of their previous ones. Dean picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He stumbled and she wound up on top as they fell onto his bed together. Laughing, Dean rolled her onto her back as she pulled off his singlet. He then carefully pulled off her shirt trying not to irritate her bruise. She kept pulling him down onto her; not wanting their skin separated; Dean didn't mind in the slightest. When all clothes had been discarded; his hand found hers and gripped it so tightly he almost couldn't feel it.

Their passion grew so intense Andie's heart was skipping every second beat. Sweat beads of pure pleasure were glistening over both of their bodies as they moved together for what felt like hours.

Only when Andie awoke did she realize she'd fallen asleep. She felt the warmth of Dean's chest under her hands and his comfortable arms both around her back, encasing her in a protective embrace. The air felt cool on her exposed skin but she was too content to move. Instead she nestled into the crook of Dean's neck, kissing just below his jaw and falling back into a dreamless, relaxed sleep.


	34. Chapter 34: Moments Like These

**Follows the episode Mystery Spot. Credit goes to the writers/creators of that episode. I changed some things to fit with Andie but the skeleton of the story is the same :P**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR**

**Day 203**

'Moments Like These'

"_Heat of the moment…telling me what your heart meant…" _Andie opened her eyes as the 80's song rang though the tinny radio speakers.

Dean was at the foot of the bed tying up his shoelaces. He saw her wake. "Rise and shine, sweetheart." He greeted her loudly.

"What the hell is this?" Andie asked; gathering the blanket around her upper body as she got up.

"Asia! Come on; you love this song and you know it." Dean told her.

"I certainly do not love it." Andie said as she wrapped the blanket around her shoulders.

Dean responded by turning up the radio. "_Heat of the moment! Heat of the moment! Heat of the moment!_" he pointed at Andie and sung along to the music along with an overzealous head bob.

Andie chuckled. "You're an idiot."

"You love it." Dean said, kissing her cheek before dancing his way to the bathroom. Andie laughed to herself and followed him.

After Andie got out of the shower; she caught sight of her bullet wound in the mirror. "Hey, Dean, come look at this." She called to him.

"What?" Dean stuck his head into the bathroom.

"I think I'm healing…" She ran her hands over her bruise; it was certainly less colourful than she'd become accustomed to. "How does it look to you?"

Deans' eyes were on the rest of Andie's exposed skin. "Smooth and milky-white..."

Andie playfully chucked a washcloth at him. "Go away." She used her telekinesis to shut the door. It felt good to use her power again; it felt like forever since she'd chucked a godforsaken demon through a window. Andie dressed in her better pair of jeans, a black t-shirt with her favorite Beatles song lyric, _Let It Be_, across the chest and her denim jacket. She then waited by the front door while Dean searched his bags for something.

"Hurry it up; would you Dean? I'm starving." Andie complained.

Dean removed a black, lacy bra from his duffel bag. "This yours?" he asked, holding it up to Andie.

Andie cocked her head at it and furrowed her brow. "I lost that like two months...wait; do you carry around my underwear?" She asked accusingly.

Dean smiled. "As if you're shocked I'd do that." He answered; stuffing the bra back into his bag.

"You are unbelievable." Andie muttered irritably.

"What a coincidence; you said the same thing last night." He winked at her.



Andie tried her best to hide the smile that played on her lips as the memory of the night before seeped back into her thoughts. "Can we go?" she sighed.

Dean removed his gun from his bag. "Ah-ha!" he chirped gleefully as he slid it into the back of his jeans and headed to the door. "Let's go get some breakfast."

**xxx**

The nearest café to the motel was a short walk down the road. It was the essence of a small town, really. One of everything because that was all they needed. Dean held the café door open for Andie and the bell above the door tinkled as they came in.

"Drive safely now Mr. Pickett." The cashier was saying to an elderly man in a beige cardigan as Dean and Andie walked by him

"Can't stay unless you order something, Cal." A waitress in a yellow uniform whose nametag read _Doris_ said to a young man who looked very down on his luck. "You know the rules."

The man was counting out small change on the counter. "Just coffee." He mumbled; sliding his coins over to Doris.

As she and Dean sat in a booth, Andie looked around at the dull décor of the diner. "Good God this place is depressing."

Dean was busy looking at the menu on the wall behind the counter where a different special was written up for every day of the week. "Hey; Tuesday! Pig 'N A Poke." He smiled gleefully at Andie.

"Do you even know what that is?" Andie asked with a wry grin.

Dean frowned and shrugged in reply.

"Are you kids ready?" Doris the waitress asked as she arrived at their table, pen and paper at the ready to take down their order.

"Yeah; I'll have the special; side of bacon and a coffee." Dean ordered.

"Make it two coffees and I'll have the short-stack." Andie added.

Doris made wrote it all down then gave them a smile. "You got it." She said as she left.

"I tell ya, Morgan, I'm not so sure Bela's out this way." Dean said as he leant back into his booth.

"She was heading east out of Monument; we're going east." Andie shrugged. "I tell ya right now I'd rather be tracking down Ruby and getting Sam back."

Dean nodded. "Yeah; well Ruby's got this way of disappearing when she doesn't wanna be found."

Andie saw the worry on Dean's face very clearly. "She won't hurt him, Dean. If she wanted him dead she woulda done it already. Instead all she's done is help you guys; even offered up her life back at the sheriff's station."

Dean paused; growing a crease in his brow. "Andie...she tried to make you kill yourself?"

"Oh yeah…bitch." Andie cocked her head. "Still; I don't think she'd hurt Sam."

"Just disappeared; can you believe it?" An elderly woman sitting behind Dean was saying to her friend.



"And he was at the Mystery Spot?" her friend shook her head. "Poor Dexter."

Andie could see from where she was sitting the women had a newspaper and a brochure touting the name **THE MYSTERY SPOT**open on their table. Glancing around, she also noticed newspapers and brochure on a stand by the cashier. "I'll be right back." She muttered to Dean as she went and picked up both items and brought them back to the table. Both elderly women were exiting the diner by the time she sat down.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked curiously as Andie started rifling through the newspaper.

"I overheard those women talking about something…" Andie muttered as she searched for the right article.

"You were eavesdropping?" Dean raised his eyebrows.

"Ssh. Look at this." Andie pushed the newspaper across the table to Dean.

Dean glanced at the article. It had the title **MISSING – DEXTER HASSELBACK, LAST SEEN IN BROWARD, FLORIDA** at the top of it. Dean read it aloud to Andie. Apparently Dexter was a journalist who had disappeared the week before on the way to the local haunted house; the Broward County Mystery Spot. "Mystery Spot?" Dean looked up at Andie.

Shuffling closer to him, Andie showed Dean the brochure. "This place. Looks like you're regular kook joint to me…could be interesting?"

"Wait; you want us to look into this?" Dean asked her. "Andie; come on. We have to find Bela, the colt, Sam and Ruby. Now you want us to find this Dexter guy?"

"Dean; you know everything happens for reason. Alright; there's a reason that we chose to sit in this booth and there is a reason I heard those ladies talking."

"You were eavesdropping." Dean said again.

Andie shuffled back over to her side of the booth so she was facing Dean again. "Yeah, well...please?" she asked. "Look; we booked the motel until tomorrow afternoon anyway; we may as well have something to do."

Dean considered this as Doris came back over with two coffees on a tray along with a bottle of hot sauce. "Two coffees black." She said as she set them on the table. Dean and Andie thanked her. "And some hot sauce for the—oh!" the tray slipped and the hot sauce bottle fell to the ground, smashing into pieces. "Crap!" she looked to Dean and Andie. "Sorry." She said. "Clean up!" She yelled back towards the kitchen.

After breakfast Dean and Andie headed back down the street towards their motel. A golden retriever tied to a bike rack barked at them as they walked past it. Andie was too immersed in the Mystery Spot brochure to pay attention.

"Morgan." Dean said, snatching the brochure from her hands. "You know joints like this are only tourist traps, right? I mean, y'know, balls rolling up hills, furniture nailed to the ceiling – they're only dangers to your wallet."

"Yeah, well, I'm just saying there _are_ spots in the world that just open up and swallow people." Andie countered, shoving her hands into her jeans pockets. "Bermuda Triangle, Oregon Vortex-"

"Broward County Mystery Spot?" Dean cut in.

"Sometimes these places are legit." Andie shrugged.

"Alright so if it is legit – and that's a big ass if – what's the lore?" Dean asked her.



"Scuse me." A pretty, blonde woman apologized as she bumped into Dean while passing them. She had a handful of papers in her hands.

"Well, the lore…" Andie noticed Dean look back at the blonde. She reached out and turned his chin towards her. "Uh-uh." She shook her head. "The lore's pretty friggin nuts actually. They say the magnetic force in these places are so strong they can bend space time; sending the victims god-knows-where."

"Sounds a little X-files to me." Dean deadpanned as they walked passed two removal men trying unsuccessfully to move a large desk through a doorway.

"I told ya it wouldn't fit!" the balding, rounder of the two men grumbled as he strained pulling at one desk corner.

"Whaddya want; a Pulitzer?" his skinner, greasy haired partner snapped.

"Look, Dean, I'm not saying this is really happening but if it is, we gotta check it out and see if we can do something." Andie told him.

"Alright, alright. We'll go tonight after they close; get ourselves a nice, long look." Dean agreed.

Andie smiled. "Thank you." She hopped up and kissed his cheek mid-stride without breaking her step.

**xxx**

The Mystery Spot was exactly what Andie expected and more. When she and Dean broke in through the back door they entered a green and black hallway that had been painted to look like a hypnotizing wheel. Dean had one of Sam's electromagnetic detectors buzzing away in his hands as the two of them entered the main room.

Dean had been right; there was furniture stuck to the walls but also coming half out of the floor; as though it had sunk. "Wow; uncanny." He deadpanned as he guided his torch to the roof and spotted a table and chair upside down complete with a cigar in an ashtray.

Andie passed what appeared to be the back end of a horse sticking out of the wall. She shone her torch over it. "Hey look; a horse's ass." She laughed. "I so want one of these in my house…" She turned to Dean who was maneuvering the detector around. "Anything?"

"No." Dean answered. "Do you have _any_ idea what you're looking for?"

Andie entered one of the back hallways. "An idea; yes. Am I finding it…? No." she walked into a smaller room piled high with books that appeared to be only a soft gust of wind away from toppling over.

"What the yell you doin' here?" A gruff voice suddenly said out in the other room.

The hairs on Andie's neck immediately pricked up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Andie heard Dean say. "I can explain."

She walked cautiously back into the main room and saw a skinny man with a shotgun aimed at Dean; who had his own gun out. The man saw Andie move and aimed his gun at her. "Don't move! You robbin' me?!" he asked them both; switching his gun between them.

"Nobody's robbing you; calm down." Andie told him with her hands in the air.

Dean started lowering his weapon.

"Don't move!" The man yelled at him. "Don't move!"



"I'm just putting the gun down." Dean explained in a level voice.

A gunshot fired and hit Dean directly in his chest making him fall flat on his back. The man's shotgun smoked as he stared, shocked at what he'd done.

"Dean!" Andie screamed. "No!" She rushed to his side and pulled him into her lap. "No, no, no." She repeated, tears rushing to her eyes. She looked up at the man. "Call 9-1-1!" she yelled.

"I didn't mean—

"NOW!" Andie interrupted and the man hurried away. Andie turned back to Dean, he was gasping for air in her arms. She held his hand and gripped it firmly. "Hey; it's ok. You're gonna be ok, Dean, just hang on…" She could tell from the look on his eyes that he wasn't going to stay with her. "No, no." She whimpered; her tears falling onto Dean's blood-stained shirt. She reached out and held the side of his face; his eyes locked into her own. "No; please don't…please, please, please…not now…Dean please." His scared eyes glazed over, his grip weakened in her own and his head tilted away and fell limp in Andie's arms. "Dean..._DEAN!_"


	35. Chapter 35: Take The Hint

**Follows the episode Mystery Spot. Credit goes to the writers/creators of that episode. **

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE**

**Day 203 again**

'Take The Hint'

"_Heat of the moment…telling me what your heart meant…" _Andie opened her eyes as the 80's song rang though the tinny radio speakers.

Dean was at the foot of the bed tying up his shoelaces. He saw her wake. "Rise and shine, sweetheart." He greeted her loudly.

Andie sat up immediately, staring bewilderedly at Dean. She'd just seen him die; felt him die. Her heart was thumping so loudly she could feel it in her ears.

"_Heat of the moment…shone in your eyes…"_

_The same song?_ Andie said to herself as she stared at the radio. Dean was at the end of the bed again; tying his shoes the same way he had been yesterday.

"Asia." Dean said with an impressed nod at the radio.

"Dean." Andie breathed; staring at him.

"Come on; you love this song and you know it." He reached over and turned up the volume before singing along and dancing.

Andie, still bewildered, got to her feet and went to the bathroom. She showered and changed into her clothes, jeans and her _Let It Be_ t-shirt, before going back out to Dean who was scowering the room for something; the same way he had been yesterday. Andie watched him until he got to his feet and stared back at her.

"What?" Dean asked.

"I dunno…" she replied.

"You alright?" he asked her.

"No, I think I…" She wasn't sure how to say what she felt. "I just had a _weird_ dream last night…"

"Oh yeah?" Dean smiled devilishly. "What position were we doing?"

Andie rolled her eyes and didn't smile. "Let's just go eat, shall we?" she headed for the door.

"Wait a sec." Dean rifled through his bag and pulled out a lacy, black bra. Andie watched on with an even more stunned face. "What; don't pretend like you don't know I like to carry around your underwear." He smirked and stuffed it back into his bag. "Ah-ha!" He pulled out his gun. "Let's go get breakfast."

Andie let Dean walk past her, her mouth hanging open at the familiarity of what she'd just witnessed.

**xxx**

"Drive safely now Mr. Pickett." The cashier was saying to an elderly man in a beige cardigan as Dean and Andie walked by him.

Andie did a double take.



"Can't stay unless you order something, Cal." A waitress in a yellow uniform whose nametag read _Doris_ said to a young man who looked very down on his luck. "You know the rules."

Andie could do nothing but stare at Cal as he ordered. The man was counting out small change on the counter. "Just coffee." He mumbled; sliding his coins over to Doris.

As Dean and Andie slid into a booth, Dean checked out the menu on the wall behind the counter. "Hey; Tuesday! Pig 'N A Poke." He smiled gleefully at Andie.

Andie looked up at the menu and back at Dean. "Wait—its Tuesday?" she asked.

"Yeah." Dean replied with a confused glint in his eyes.

"Are you kids ready?" Doris the waitress asked as she arrived at their table, pen and paper at the ready to take down their order.

"Yeah; I'll have the special; side of bacon and a coffee." Dean ordered.

_This has __definitely__ already happened,_ Andie said to herself as she looked at Dean. _How could I forget the phrase Pig 'N A Poke?_ "Nothing for me." Andie said to Doris.

Doris smiled warmly at her. "Lemme know if you change your mind." She said as she left.

"I tell ya, Morgan, I'm not so sure Bela's out this way." Dean said as he leant back into his booth.

Andie wasn't even listening to him. She was watching the man eating his breakfast at the end of the counter; he'd been there yesterday. Everyone in the counter had; including the two old women sitting behind Dean. This had all happened yesterday…hadn't it?

"Morgan; you with me?" Dean said, leaning forwards against the table.

"What?" She asked, snapping out of her thoughts.

"Are you sure you feel ok?" Dean asked. "You look a little freaked…"

"You don't…" Andie didn't think there was a way to phrase what she wanted to say without sounding silly so she just said it as best she could. "You don't remember any of this?"

"Remember what?" Dean asked.

"_This_. Today." Andie gestured to the diner. "Like it's all…happened before?"

"Like déjà vu?" Dean offered.

"No; like it's actually _happened_ before." Andie corrected him.

"Yeah, like déjà vu." Dean said again with a smile at his mouth.

"No; forget about déjà vu!" Andie snapped.

Dean grew more concerned as he watched her. "Is this about last night? Us; I mean…what we did…"

Andie grumbled under her breath. "No. I'm asking you if it…if it feels like we're living yesterday all over again."

Dean paused. "Ok…how is that not déjà-"

"Don't say it!" Andie cut in; pointing a finger at him. "Do not say it."



Doris came back over with two coffees on a tray along with a bottle of hot sauce. "Two coffees black." She said as she set them on the table. Andie watched the hot sauce bottle wobble on the tray. "And some hot sauce for the—oh!" the tray slipped and the hot sauce bottle fell…but Andie caught it before it hit the floor. "Crap!" she looked thankfully at Andie when she saw the bottle had been saved. "Thanks." She said, taking it from Andie and placing it on the table. She smiled and walked away.

"Nice reflexes." Dean commented with an impressed grin.

Andie could only muster a weak smile in response.

Dean took a second to phrase what he wanted to say. "So -- just so _I_ know -- you _don't _regret what we did last night...do you?"

Andie looked at him and couldn't help but smile; he looked so worried. "No." She assured him "For the record I actually think it was _long_ overdue." Dean seemed to be extremely pleased with this answer and the two set about having a very normal, but very familiar to Andie, breakfast. She overheard the same women talking about the Mystery Spot behind Dean and, after they'd left, collected a newspaper and brochure and told Dean about Dexter Hasselback. Again.

When they left and headed back towards the motel; a Golden Retriever tied to a bike rack barked as Dean and Andie walked passed it. Andie stared back at it as they walked; recalling the same dog from the day before.

"Same dog?" Dean asked as he watched her. She nodded. "Andie; I'm sorry but I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"Ok; look." Andie's brain was starting to hurt. "Yesterday was Tuesday, right?" Dean nodded slowly. "But today is Tuesday, too!"

"Yeah you're totally making sense." He mumbled.

Andie slapped her hands at her thighs. "So you don't believe me?!"

Dean laughed a little before a pretty, blonde woman bumped into Dean while passing them. "Scuse me." she apologized; rearranging the handful of papers in her hands. Dean turned back to check her out a little.

Instinctively; Andie reached out her hand and pull Dean's chin back at her but as she did; she was struck once again with that same, eerie 'I've done this before' feeling. She let go of Dean's chin and furrowed her brow again.

"Look; I'm just saying that it's crazy, ok?" Dean explained. "Even for us; crazy. Dingo-ate-my-baby crazy. You sure it wasn't just a dream?"

"As much as I love you referencing my country in an insult; it was way too vivid to be a dream." Andie told him. "Ok…we were at the Mystery Spot and then…" The image of Dean getting shot and bleeding to death in Andie's arms was burned into the back of her mind.

"Then what?" Dean prompted her.

"Then I woke up." She finished as they walked passed two removal men.

"I told ya it wouldn't fit!" the balding, rounder of the two men grumbled as he strained pulling at one desk corner.

"Whaddya want; a Pulitzer?" his skinnier, greasy haired partner snapped.

Whilst turning back to look at the men for a second time; a thought occurred to Andie. "Wait a minute – the Mystery Spot!" Andie slapped Dean's arm. "Maybe it…"



"Maybe what?" Dean asked.

"We gotta check that place out." Andie finished. "Please just go with me on this; ok?"

"Alright, alright. We'll go tonight after they close; get ourselves a nice, long look." Dean agreed.

"Wait; no!" Andie yelped immediately; grabbing him by the arm and stopping him.

"Why not?" Dean asked.

"Um…" Andie shrugged. "Let's just go now. Business hours; nice and crowded." She smiled.

Dean looked at her strangely. "My God you're weird, Morgan."

"Dean." Andie snapped firmly.

"Ok; fine. We'll go now." He agreed, walking off ahead of her.

Andie sighed and walked after him. He crossed the street before her and, right before Andie's eyes, was hit by a car. His body flipped up over the roof and fell heavily onto the street. Andie stood open mouthed at him. "Dean!" She screamed as she raced into the street and rolled him on his back. His mouth was dribbling blood down his cheek; half his face was scratched and he seemed to have no control over his body; he was just limp. "No, no, no. Come on." She dragged him onto her lap. "Dean?" His eyes were open but they were staring into nothingness.

The car screeched to a halt and an old man, who Andie realized it was Mr. Pickett from the café, stuck his head out the window. "Oh, Lord!" he said when he saw Dean.

Andie looked back down at him; her face crumbling into tears. "Dean…" She moved his head so he was facing her and leant her mouth against his forehead. "I'm so sorry…"

"_Heat of the moment…telling me what your heart meant…" _Andie opened her eyes as the 80's song rang though the tinny radio speakers.

Dean was at the foot of the bed tying up his shoelaces. He saw her wake. "Rise and shine, sweetheart." He greeted her loudly.

Andie sat up immediately, staring bewilderedly at Dean. Her eyes still stung with the tears she'd been crying seconds before. But Dean was fine…_what the hell is going on?_, she thought to herself.

"_Heat of the moment…shone in your eyes…"_

**xxx**


	36. Chapter 36: Say What?

**Follows the episode Mystery Spot. Credit for those parts goes to the writers/creators of the episode. **

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX**

**Day 203 again**

'Say What?'

Andie didn't say more than two words until she and Dean reached the café. She'd tried to explain to Dean that twice now she'd relived this day but it was proving just as hard as it had the first two times. She watched as he made the same joke about her bra, as they walked the same way to the café, passed the same people and sat in the same booth.

"Hey; Tuesday! Pig 'N A Poke." Dean said with a wide smile.

Andie just stared at him from across the table with her head leaning into her hands. "Ok; would you listen to me, Dean? Because I am flipping out."

"Are you kids ready?" Doris asked with a grin as she came over.

"He'll take the special; side of bacon and a coffee; black. Nothing for me; thanks." Andie told her quickly.

Doris gave her a strange look but took down the order. "You got it." She walked away.

"Morgan; I get all tingly when you take control like that." Dean smirked at her.

"Quit screwing around Dean!" Andie snapped under her breath.

"Ok; ok." Dean laughed a little but leant in closer to her. "I'm listening. So you think you're stuck in some sorta what?"

"Time loop." Andie finished for him.

"Like Groundhog Day?" Dean suggested.

"Yes! Yes, exactly. Like Groundhog Day." Andie said; relieved she now had a reference for what was happening. Dean simply nodded once; an unconvinced look on his face. Andie held out her hands. "So you don't believe me?"

"It's just a little crazy, Andie." Dean said with a smile. "Even for us; crazy like, ah-

"Dingo-ate-my-baby-crazy?" Andie cut in.

Dean gave her a strange look. "How'd you know I was going to say that?"

"Because you already said it, Dean, that's my whole point." Andie said exasperatedly.

The waitress, Doris, came back over to them with a tray of coffee as well as hot sauce. "Coffee; black and hot sauce for the – oops; crap!" Andie didn't take her eyes of Dean as she caught the bottle as it fell and handed it back to Doris. "Thanks…" She muttered, looking at Andie strangely. She put the bottle on the table and left them alone.

"Nice reflexes." Dean commented.

"No." Andie shook her head. "I knew it was going to happen."

Dean raised his eyebrows. "Ok, look, I'm sure that there's some sort of explanation-"



"No; Dean, you are just gonna have to trust me on this, ok?" Andie told him firmly. "You just have to; you owe me that much."

"Calm down." Dean said in a low voice.

"No; don't tell me to calm down! I can't calm down!" Andie snapped. "I can't because…"

"Because what?" Dean pressed.

Andie sighed. "Because you die today, Dean."

Dean scoffed. "I'm not gonna die. Not _today_."

The memory of watching Dean die both times was as fresh in Andie's mind as if they were happening then and there. "Twice now I've watched you die." A lump formed in Andie's throat and seemed to push tears into her eyes. "And I can't do it again; I won't. Please don't...you're just gonna have to believe me."

Dean was watching her very carefully. "Ok." He finally said. "I still think you're nuts—but whatever this is we'll figure it out." Andie nodded in reply and rubbed her temple. Dean kept watching her all through breakfast but she didn't really say much more.

**xxx**

After Andie and Dean left the diner; the same three things that had happened the past Tuesdays happened again; the golden retriever barked, the pretty woman bumped into Dean and the removal men bickered about the desk. Dean watched Andie, impressed, as she announced each event just seconds before it happened.

"You think this cheesy ass tourist trap has something to do with it?" Dean asked Andie; obviously still skeptical.

"Maybe it's the real deal. Y'know the magnetic forces and all; bending space/time and stuff." Andie replied curtly; one thing she had hated since she was little was having to repeat herself. And now she had to do it every few minutes; it was maddening.

"I dunno; all seems a little X-files to me." Dean muttered.

"Well; I don't know how else to explain it, Dean!" She snapped.

"Ok, alright. I'm sorry." Dean told her sincerely. "We'll go tonight after they close; get ourselves a nice, long look."

"NO!" Andie screamed; stopped him in his tracks. "We can't."

"Why not?" Dean asked. Andie averted his eyes giving Dean the clear impression he met his end at the Mystery Spot. "I die there?"

"Blown away; actually…" Andie remembered.

"Huh…" Dean huffed. "Alright; fine, let's go now." He continued walking.

Andie lunged after him; grabbing him by the shoulders of his jacket and yanking him off his feet. The pair of them fell backwards onto the curb. Andie was gripped Dean around the neck as Mr. Picket sped past at a frightening speed screaming _"Get outta the way ya dam kids!"_ out of his window.

"Whoa…" Dean breathed as he watched the car that almost cleaned him up go by. He chuckled and turned back to Andie who didn't look at all as happy as he did. All of a sudden Dean became aware of how fast Andie had pulled him back. "Wait; did he…"



"Yesterday; yeah." Andie nodded.

Dean got to his feet and helped Andie up. "And?"

"And what?" Andie asked; brushing off the backside of her jeans.

"How'd it look?" Dean asked; an eager grin spreading on his face. "I mean, did it look all cool—like in the movies."

Andie sighed. "You peed yourself." She told him bluntly.

Dean blanched but quickly regained his composure. "Of course I peed myself." He said defensively. Man gets hit by a car; do you think he's got full control of his bladder? Come on." He then made very sure to look both ways before crossing the street.

**xxx**

Dean and Andie went back to their motel room and changed clothes, Dean in a cheap, but smart, suit, and Andie in an outfit she had to piece together since she hadn't had the time to by any new clothes. She only had two pairs of jeans; one pair so dark it was almost black so she teamed them with one of Dean's white, collared shirts as well as loosely looping one of his ties around her neck. Looking at herself in the mirror, Andie likened her appearance to that of a sophisticated lawyer or a tragic lesbian. She hoped for the former since she and Dean were going to the Mystery Spot under the guise of being journalists.

While Andie was changing, Dean fashioned her and ID out of one of Sam's old ones so she could use the same name, Leslie Flanagan. Then the pair of them drove to the Mystery Spot.

For Andie; seeing the owner, Mr. Korpiack, again was eerie. The last time she'd seen him he was nervously aiming a gun at her and Dean—and then he shot and killed Dean. But now, as she stood before him in the middle of the Mystery Spot, children and families having a dun day out surrounding them, he was smiling and welcoming to two 'journalists' asking about his business.

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate this." Mr. Korpiack said with a wide grin. "We need all the good ink we can get."

"How long have you owned this place, Mr. Korpiack?" Andie asked him.

"Well, my family's been guarding the secrets here since you don't wanna know when." He gestured to her that she should make a note of that in the notepad she had open.

"So you'd know if anything _strange_ happened." Andie assumed.

"Strange happens here all the time; sweetness." Mr. Korpiack chuckled. "That's why we call it the Mystery Spot." He winked at her.

Dean glanced between Andie and Mr. Korpiack. "Ah; what does that mean exactly?" he asked.

"Well, um…it's where the laws of physics…have no meaning" Mr. Korpiack touted the tagline from the brochure to Andie; not to Dean.

"Like how?" Andie asked more earnestly.

"Take the tour." He grinned and winked at her again.

"Scuse me…do you have a problem with me?" Dean shrugged; squaring his jaw.

"Hm?" Mr. Korpiack glanced at him.



"You're directing all your answers at my partner…" Dean told him; ignoring the withering look Andie was giving him.

Mr. Korpiack chuckled bashfully. "Forgive me...she's more aesthetically pleasing than yourself."

"Yeah; I'm with you there." Dean shared the chuckle but then narrowed his eyes into a glare. "But look at her like that again and I might have to clock you in the-"

"Dean." Andie cut in firmly.

Mr. Korpiack gave Dean a puzzled look. "I thought your name was Marty…"

"It is!" Andie told him quickly; her mind racing for a plausible excuse. "Dean….Dean is an Australian term for _'shut the eff up'_." She thwacked Dean in the chest with the back of her hand and gave him a stern look.

"The guy who went missing, Dexter Hasselback, he take the tour?" Dean asked, trying to gain a more professional stance.

The time; the owner did look at Dean. "I, ah, what-what kinda article is this?" He sputtered.

"Just answer the question." Andie told him sweetly.

"The police scowered every inch of this place; they couldn't find him – I've never seen him before." He gestured to the kids playing behind him. "Miss; we're a family establishment…"

"You listen to me." Andie threatened him; standing right up in front of his face. She was getting desperate for answers. "Something weird is going on here now do you know anything about it or not?"

"Look…gimme a break." Mr. Korpiack said in a low voice. "I bought the joint at a foreclosure auction last March; hell, I used to sell bail bonds."

Dean watched as Andie death-stared this man down; he could almost touch the intensity she was giving him. "Ok; partner; let's get some air."

**xxx**

"Morgan; I'm sorry but I doubt that guy knows anything." Dean said to Andie as they walked back to the car.

"Stop calling me Morgan." Andie muttered tiredly. "And for what it's worth; I don't think so either but he…"

"What?" Dean prompted her. She averted his eyes in the same way she had earlier when Dean had found out he died at the Mystery Spot. "Don't tell me...he didn't...did he kill me?"

Andie sighed hugely. "Point is; he wasn't helpful." She paused.

Dean nodded. "Yeah; and that place was exactly what I thought—full of crap."

"So then what is it, Dean?" Andie asked him. "What's happening to us?"

"I dunno…" Dean muttered. "Ok; wait a minute…" He stopped on the pathway and turned to Andie; trying to make more sense of the situation. "Every day I die."

"Yeah." Andie replied.

"And that's when you wake up again, right?" he continued.

"Yeah." Andie nodded.



"Maybe it's 'cos we had sex." He thought aloud.

"What?" Andie snapped.

"Hey; I'm just saying." Dean said, unable to hide his smile. "We have sex then you relive the day?" he raised his eyebrows.

"I don't relive us having sex if that's what you're getting at." Andie snickered. "I relive you dying; slightly more memorable."

"Slightly." Dean cocked his head at her and grinned.

"Shut up." Andie snapped and started to walk away.

"I'm sorry; I'm sorry." Dean caught up to her and stopped her again. "I'll stop. Well; I'll _try_ to…" The sad look in Andie's eyes really made him stop. "Ok; look. Let's just make sure I don't die today, alright?"

"What do you mean?" Andie furrowed her brow.

"If I make it 'til tomorrow, maybe this whole thing stops and we can figure it out." Dean suggested.

Andie considered this. "Yeah...I guess...that might work."

"It's worth a shot." Dean agreed. "I say we grab some take out and lay low til midnight; sound good?" He was happy to see Andie look more relaxed.

"That is...the most helpful thing you've said all day." Andie smiled.

"Good." Dean smiled back and they kept walking. "You want Chinese?"

Before Andie could respond; a desk fell from nowhere and crushed Dean completely flat on the sidewalk. Looking up, Andie saw the two removalists looking at Dean with shocked expressions. Having obviously been unable to get the desk through the door; they'd tried tying it on a rope and heaving it up through the window. It had snapped the second Dean walked underneath it. Andie just stared at Deans legs sprouting out from underneath the desk; heaving deep, helpless sighs.


	37. Chapter 37: Every Which Way

**Follows the episode Mystery Spot. Credit for those parts goes to the writers/creators of the episode. **

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN**

**Day 203. Again.**

'Every Which Way'

"_Heat of the moment…telling me what your heart meant…" _Andie opened her eyes as the 80's song rang though the tinny radio speakers.

Dean was at the foot of the bed tying up his shoelaces. He saw her wake. "Rise and shine, sweetheart." He greeted her loudly.

Andie sunk back onto her mattress; her mind whirling.

"_Heat of the moment…shone in your eyes…"_

**xxx**

The morning went exactly the same for Andie. Same chat with Dean about he carries her underwear, same people in the coffee shop and his same reaction to her telling him they'd relived the day. She sat across from him at the same booth at the diner feeling completely useless; three times she'd seen him die. It was getting ridiculous.

"I still think you're nuts…" Dean was saying; having just listened to Andie tell him he'd been killed three times. "But whatever this is; we'll figure it out."

"Thanks." Andie said as she leant her head against her palm.

"So…if you're stuck in Groundhog Day…why?" Dean asked. "What's behind it?"

Andie shrugged. "At first I thought it was the Mystery Spot but now I'm not so sure…"

"What do we do?" Dean asked her.

"We keep you breathing." Andie smiled tiredly. "Try to make it til tomorrow; that's the only plan I got."

"Shouldn't be too hard." Dean shrugged.

"Yeah; right." Andie scoffed sarcastically. "Dean; I've watched you die three times now and I can't ever seem to be able to stop it. It happens so fast I can't even use my power..."

"Well, nothing's set in stone." Dean smiled. Andie seemed to consider this. "Now you say I order the same thing every day, right?"

Andie nodded. "Yeah; Pig 'N A Poke; side of bacon."

Dean turned to the counter. "'Scuse me sweetheart?" He called to Doris. "Can I get sausage instead of bacon?"

"Sure thing, hon." Doris replied as she repeated his request to the chef.

"See?" Dean said to Andie. "Different day already." She smiled. "Andie; if you and I decide I'm not gonna die…I'm not gonna die."

Andie looked up at him; very aware of the sincerity in his eyes. "Thank you." She said with a grateful grin. "You're so much more receptive then you were yesterday."



Dean grinned back a Doris set his breakfast before him. As if proving a point, Dean forked a sausage off his plate and took a large bite out of it. Andie scoffed a little and glanced up at the menu; deciding maybe she'd actually eat on _this _Tuesday. Then Dean started coughing. She looked up at him; his face was turning blue. "Dean!" She lunged for him.

**xxx**

"_Heat of the moment…"_

Andie refused to leave the motel room again until she figured out what was going on. She paced out in the bedroom while Dean took his shower.

"You mean we can't even go out for breakfast?!" He called to her.

"You'll thank me when it's Wednesday!" Andie shouted back.

"Whatever that means." Dean hollered back. "Agh!!" He screamed followed by a loud thud and a crack.

"Dean?!"

**xxx**

"_Heat of the moment…"_

This Tuesday, Andie woke up to Dean singing at the end of her bed once again and had a very different idea of how to keep him immobile.

"Stop; don't get dressed." She told him; shuffling towards him with the blanket enclosed around her naked body.

"Say what?" Dean asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"Why get dressed if you don't have to?" She asked provocatively, looping her arms around Dean's neck.

"Real-ly." He asked wide-eyed, snaking an arm around her waist.

Andie nodded and kissed him deeply. "Let's stay in bed. All day." She told him as she climbed onto his lap.

"You don't have to ask me twice." Dean chuckled.

"Good." Andie kissed him again. "Then take off your pants."

Dean chuckled and got to his feet. As he was yanking off his shoes; he tripped and smacked his head square on the corner of the coffee table.

**xxx**

"_Heat of the moment…"_

They ordered breakfast in again. One of Dean's favorites; tacos.

Dean took a giant bite out of his taco but stopped mid-chew. "These tacos taste funny to you?" he asked Andie with a mouthful of food.

**xxx**

"_Heat of the moment…"_



She wasn't going to let him out of her sight. Andie even waited on a chair in the bathroom while he showered. So far he hadn't died the same way twice. Dean listened while he brushed his teeth as she explained what the hell was happening to her. But then he plugged in his electric razor to shave…

**xxx**

"_Heat of the moment…"_

The Mystery Spot was going down. Andie resolved to cut it down to kindling as fast as she could. That meant she could finally wield her pent up telekinetic energy. Dean managed to sneak up on Mr. Korpiack and get him tied to a chair while Andie, who refused to let Dean help her, tore the business to shreds. Dean waited with Mr. Korpiack while Andie did her thing.

"Everything's fine." Dean said to Mr. Korpiack with a wide smile. "No one's gonna get hurt." He looked to Andie who was furiously tossing things around the room. "Andie? Baby? Maybe we should stop this and let this guy go…" He jeered his head at Mr. Korpiack.

"No; something's gotta be going on here!" Andie yelled back. "And I'm not stopping until I find out what!"

"You've torn this place up pretty good, honey." He told her. "Time to give it a rest."

"NO!" Andie roared at him. "No! No! No! I'm taking this down to the ground."

Dean laughed and shrugged at Mr. Korpiack. Then he got off his haunches. "Alright; that's enough, Andie."

Andie whirled around and used her power on him to keep him away. He fell back and skewered himself on a thick shard of debris. Blood sprayed all over the floor; and all over Mr. Korpiack. "Dean?" Andie gaped at him as he thudded to the floor. "Oh no…"

**xxx**

"_Heat of the moment…"_

Andie was exhausted. She didn't know what to do anymore. How could she save Dean when she couldn't stop him dying? She explained to him as best she could what had been going on before they went back to the café. Andie purposely bumped into Mr. Pickett; the elderly man, and nicked his keys. If he killed Dean then he shouldn't be driving anywhere in a small town. Falling heavily into the booth, Andie sunk her head in her hands. She chucked the keys into the centre of the table.

"What are those?" Dean asked her.

"The old man's." She sighed. "Trust me; you don't want him behind the wheel."

Doris came over and took down Dean's order, _Pig 'N A Poke; side of bacon_ and a coffee then left them alone.

"Ok, so you think you're caught in some kinda what again?" Dean asked her.

"Time loop." Andie grumbled.

"Like Groundhog Day?" Dean suggested.

"It doesn't matter." Andie shook her head. "There's no way to stop it."

"Geez; aren't you grumpy." Dean told her with a wry grin.



"Yeah; I am grumpy and you wanna know why?" Andie leant in towards him. "Because this is the hundredth Tuesday I have been through; and it never stops. Ever. So yeah; I'm a little grumpy." Dean gave her a confused look as Doris came back towards them. "Hot sauce." She added matter-of-factly.

"What?" Dean looked even more confused. That was until the bottle of hot sauce on the tray in Doris's hand toppled off. Andie caught it and slammed it onto the table. Doris set the food down and let them be.

Dean eyed her up and down. "Nice refle-"

"I knew it was going to happen, Dean." Andie cut in. "I know everything that's going to happen today."

"You don't know _everything_." Dean countered.

"Yeah; I do." Andie challenged him.

"Yeah, right." Dean answered; Andie mimicking him at exactly the same time as he spoke. "Nice guess." She got him again.

"It wasn't a guess." Andie told him.

"Right you're a mind-reader." They both said simultaneously. "Cut it out Andie. Andie."

"_You think you're being clever but you're being really, really childish!"_

"_Andie Morgan listens to Britney Spears."_

"_Andie Morgan thinks I'm the best sex she's ever had."_

"_Andie Morgan likes it when I roll her over in bed and – ok enough!"_

Dean rubbed a hand through his hair in awe; she'd repeated everything he'd said at the exact time, with the same tone as he had. What's more, by the look on her face at that moment, she'd done this many times before.

"That's not all." She nodded her head to the guy behind the cash register. "Randy; the cashier? He's skimming from the till. And Judge Myers?" She jeered her head at the man at the end of the bar. "At night he puts on a furry, bunny outfit." The judge overheard her and spat tea all over his morning paper. "And that guy over there?" She pointed her head back at Cal who was slowly drinking his coffee. "That's Cal; he's going to rob Tony the mechanic on the way home."

"What's your point?" Dean asked her; still extremely puzzled.

"My point is I have lived _every_ possible Tuesday, I have seen you die every possible way – I even killed you a couple of times – I have ripped apart the Mystery Spot, burnt it down, blown it up, flooded it -- tried everything I can to save your life and I can't." Her jaw clenched involuntarily. "No matter what I do; you die. And then I wake up. And it's Tuesday. And you die--again. Plus I have to go through this whole thing of explaining it to you again cause _you_ don't remember anything I say." She laughed lightly. "I mean, I could tell you that I love you and I wanna have your babies – and you won't remember it tomorrow!" She sank her head into her hands.

Dean sighed. "Well, there's – wait; are you in love with me?"

"Dean; that is 100 percent _not_ _my point_!" Andie snapped at him.

**xxx**



Out on the street, Dean continued to watch Andie with a weird look on his face as she announced every event before it happened. A dog barking, the old man looking for his keys, the pretty woman with papers in her hands bumping into Dean and excusing herself.

"Hey." Dean said; pulling Andie to a stop. "All the times we walked up and down this street…did I ever do this?" he suddenly turned back and ran towards the young woman. "Scuse me! Miss?"

"No…" Andie mumbled as she watched him go; afraid he might trip, fall and die again.

Dean came back to her with one of the papers from the bunch in the woman's arms. "Hundred Tuesday's and you never bothered to see what she was holding in her hands?"

"No; seeing you die over and over kinda took precedent." Andie sniped back.

Dean showed Andie the poster. "This the guy we're missing?"

Andie looked. It was, indeed, Dexter Hasselback. "Yeah." Andie said.

"That's his daughter back there." Dean nodded his head back at the pretty blonde.

"Oh!" Andie yelped looking at the woman walking away; his daughter might have answers. Snatching the poster out of Dean's hands, Andie took off after her. "Ma'am!" she hollered.

Dean watched Andie leave with a grin on his face. Then the golden retriever tied to the bike rack started growling. "Hey buddy." Dean said to the dog. "Somebody need a friend?" he walked over to the dog which all of a sudden leapt for him…

**xxx**


	38. Chapter 38: Tricky, Tricky

**Follows the episode Mystery Spot. Credit for those parts goes to the writers/creators of the episode. **

**CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT**

**Day 203. Yet again.**

'Tricky, Tricky'

"_Heat of the moment…"_

Waking up, Andie immediately screamed at Dean for being so inept that he _had_ to approach a strange dog. Of course; he had no idea what she was talking about. She explained it the best way she could; the way that he'd been most receptive to over the pas hundred Tuesdays; and then went to the café for their regular breakfast. Only this time; Andie brought Sam's laptop and did some research while they ate. Everything was going smoothly until a loud 'heads up!' was yelled from the kitchen. Before Andie knew it; a knife plunged through the side of Dean's head and he fell in a heap on the table. She looked over at the chefs in the kitchen wide eyed.

"Are you _kidding_ me?!" She yelled at them.

**xxx**

"_Heat of the moment…"_

Yet another day of waiting for Dean's death. Although by this Tuesday, day 115 by her count, she had found enough time to search into Dexter Hasselback on the internet. She still believed him to be a lead and she intended to track him down.

At breakfast; Andie told Dean of everything she'd found out. How Dexter was a journalist who specialized in looking into Mystery Spots, UFO crash sites and got his kicks debunking them. "He's already put four of these places out of business." She slid the laptop over to Dean so he could see.

"Dexter Hasselback; Truth Warrior?" Dean read with skeptical eyes. "More like a pompous shmuck if you ask me."

"Tell me about it." Andie agreed. "I mean; I've read everything the guy's ever written; musta weighed a tone he was so full of himself."

"When did you have time to all this research?" Dean asked her.

Andie thought it better not to get into it. "Come on." She said; grabbing up the laptop. Dean grabbed the check and got to his feet; chuckling. "What's so funny?" Andie asked.

"Nothing; just…y'know this guy spends his whole life dumping on Mystery Spots – then he vanishes in one." Dean laughed. "It's kinda poetic, y'know? Like just desserts."

"Yeah; it is…" Andie agreed as she followed him out; her eyes settling on the uneaten breakfast by the man who sat in the middle of the bar. Every Tuesday Andie had watched him order and eat pancakes with Maple syrup. Only today; his unfinished pancakes were swimming in Strawberry syrup.

Dean, who'd seen her stop and stare at the half-eaten food, moved back a few steps. "Morgan; what's wrong?"

Andie watched the man go with wide eyes. "The guy has Maple syrup on his pancakes for the past hundred Tuesdays—all of a sudden he's having strawberry?"



"It's a free country; Morgan." Dean told her. "What, a man can't choose his own syrup? What've we become!" He added sarcastically.

"No; not in this diner." Andie told him. "Not today. Nothing _ever_ changes here, Dean. _Nothing_." She paused. "Except me…"

**xxx**

"_Heat of the moment…telling me what your heart meant…" _Andie opened her eyes as the 80's song rang though the tinny radio speakers.

Dean was at the foot of the bed tying up his shoelaces. He saw her wake. "Rise and shine, sweetheart." He greeted her loudly.

"Dean!" Andie yelped and held the blanket around her waist. "You need to think for a second, ok?"

"Whoa; what's wrong?" Dean asked her.

Andie explained her situation once again; how it was now Tuesday 116 as well as everything she'd learnt about Dexter Hasselback and the man in the diner with the changing syrup.

"Ok…" Dean sank back onto the bed; processing everything she'd just said. "So...what?"

"What can do that?" Andie asked as she quickly tossed on her clothes.

"Do what?" Dean still looked confused.

"Create a world." Andie continued. "Make me relive this same thing over and over. I mean; I've never heard of demons that could do that."

"Demons couldn't." He shook his head and thought for a moment. "But tricksters can…" He realized suddenly.

"What?" Andie sank beside him on the bed. "What the hell's a trickster?"

"It's this kinda demi-god immortal things." Dean remembered; realizing the more he thought about it; the more this sounded like the tricksters work. "They create chaotic circumstances out of nothing to take people down a couple of pegs."

"Have you fought 'em before?" Andie asked, crossing her legs.

"Yeah, Sammy, Bobby and I took one out about a year ago." Dean remembered. "Made me see these hot half-naked chicks on a bed; said he was giving them to me as a peace offering." He chuckled fondly at the memory and glanced at Andie. "I tell ya…" the look on her face clearly told him he wasn't winning her over. "Well; that's not the way to convince you." He barely recovered.

"So how do we kill it?" Andie brushed past his lapse in intelligence.

"Stake it." Dean shrugged easily.

"Great; I can do that." Andie got to her feet; a little miffed that maybe she'd found the solution. "Wow; I think you just saved me." She sighed. "Thank you." She gave him a thankful hug.

"You're welcome." Dean chuckled; hugging her tightly back. "Agh." He grunted awkwardly.

"What?" Andie asked as she pulled away. Dean was clutching his chest.

"My chest…it's really tight…" he said with an intense look of pain creeping onto his face.



"Dammit." Andie cussed.

**xxx**

"_Heat of the moment…telling me what your heart meant…" _

Armed with information of how to kill the trickster, Andie and Dean arrived at the café the next morning prepared to go. She'd been able to catch Dean up on what was going on in under ten minutes; her quickest time yet; and together they planned to put an end to this constant Tuesday thing for good.

Andie kept stealing glances at the fellow in the middle of the bar; now eating his pancakes with Maple syrup again, as Dean slowly ate his Pig 'N A Poke. The two of them waited until the man finished his breakfast and left the café before following him. Dean crept up behind him as they passed a nearby alley and pushed him up against a dumpster; wooden stake to his neck.

"We know who you are, buddy." Dean said to him. "Or should I say what."

"Oh my god; please don't kill me!" The man begged as he eyed the stake at his throat.

"Just shut up." Andie spat in his face. "It took me a hell of a long time to figure it out but we got it."

"What?" The man asked in confusion.

"It's your MO that gave you away." Dean told him.

"Going after pompous jerks; giving them their just desserts." Andie added. "Your kind loves that, don't they?"

"Yeah; sure, ok." The guy said shakily. "Just put the stake down."

"Don't play dumb, buddy." Dean gripped him tighter. "There's only one creature powerful enough to do what you're doing. Making reality out of nothing; sticking people in time loops! In fact; you'd pretty much have to be a god…"

"You'd have to be a Trickster." Andie finished for him.

"Look; I don't know who you are but my name is Ed Coleman." The terrified man said. "My wife's names Amelia; I got two kids for Christ sakes. I sell ad space!"

"Don't lie to me!" Andie roared at him. "We know what you are!"

"I've killed one of your kind before." Dean added.

All of a sudden, the man's face changed. His scared expression disappeared and his gray hair morphed into a dark brown colour. His face completely changed; turning into a very unpleasant, smirking young man. "Actually bucko?" He simpered to Dean. "You didn't."

Dean didn't even momentarily loosen his grip. "Why are you doing this?"

From the looks flying between the two of them, Andie knew this had to be the same Trickster Dean had thought he'd killed. The unfinished business they seemed to share was as vibrant as the blue sky above them.

"Are you kidding me, Dean-O?" he said. "This has nothing to do with you. Well; that's a lie; it has everything to do with you. See you chuckleheads tried to kill me last time. Why wouldn't I do this?" he shrugged. "My plan was to stick Sammy in this little loop-world but next thing I hear he's off training with some demon…" The Trickster looked to Andie. "And you've hooked up with this fine creature."

Dean grabbed his face and turned him away from Andie. "Don't look at her."



"Oh; Dean, no need to be all heroic." The Trickster sneered. "You've already nailed her."

"Hasselback; what about him?" Andie ignored his comments.

"That putz? He said he didn't believe in wormholes…so I tossed him in one." He laughed a high-pitched, hyena-esq laugh. "Then you two showed up." He smirked. "I made you the second you pranced into town."

"So this is fun for you?" Andie felt bile rising in her throat. "Killing Dean over and over again." Her voice broke involuntarily.

"One? Yes, it is fun." The Trickster answered. "And two? This is _so not about _killing Dean. This joke…? It's on you, sweetpea." He said to Andie. "Watching somebody you love die every day...forever…?"

"You son of a bitch." Andie growled at him.

"How long's it gonna take you to realize, honey?" The Trickster said in a syrupy voice. "You can't save Dean. You and Sam; you're obsessed with it…and sorry to be the one to break it to you but it _can't be done_."

"Oh yeah?" Andie stood right up to him so they were nose to nose. "We kill you; this all ends now." Dean added emphasis to her statement by pushing the stake harder into the Trickster's throat.

"Whoa; whoa!" He said nervously. "Hey; I was just playing around; having a few laughs. You two can't take a joke, fine. You're out of it. Tomorrow you wake up and it'll be Wednesday. I swear."

"You're lying." Dean said immediately.

"If I am you know where to find me." The Trickster reminded them. "Having pancakes at the diner."

Dean and Andie looked at each other. "No." Andie said. "Easier to just kill you."

"Sorry; sweetie. Can't have that." The trickster clicked both of his fingers simultaneously.

**xxx**

"_But you better promise me I'll be back in ti-i-ime…" _ the song came loudly over the radio; waking Andie out of an apparently deep sleep. _"Gotta get back in time…."_

Sitting up, Andie immediately knew it wasn't Tuesday. Aside from the different song; this was the first day in almost 120 Tuesdays she'd woken up with her clothes on and Dean wasn't at the foot of her bed; he was brushing his teeth in the bathroom.

"You gonna sleep all day?" He called to Andie as he saw her waking up.

"No Asia." She said; pointing at the radio.

"Yeah; I know." Dean nodded as he came out of the bathroom. "This station sucks."

Andie looked closer at the date on the radio; sure enough the date was a big, fat WED. "It's Wednesday!" she yelped excitedly. 

"Yeah; which usually comes after Tuesday." Dean deadpanned. "Turn that crap off; would ya?"

"Are you kidding?!" Andie said as she almost jumped out of bed. "This isn't the most beautiful song you've ever heard?!"

"No; it is certainly _not._" Dean told her. "Jeez; how many Tuesdays did you have, Morgan?"



"I dunno exactly; I lost count around a hundred." She told him as she pulled her jeans on. "Wait a sec; what do you remember?"

"I remember you were pretty whacked outta it yesterday and running into the Trickster." Dean recalled. "But that's about it." He shrugged.

"Alright; great. Awesome." Andie said with a grin. "Ok; pack your stuff. Let's get the hell outta town."

Dean raised his eyebrows. "No breakfast."

Andie walked up and kissed him on the lips. "No breakfast." She slapped him gently on the cheek. "Let's go."

Dean was out packing the car while Andie was doing a final once over of the motel room like she liked to do before they left. Tossing his duffle bag in with his weaponry, Dean's mind wandered back to Sam and how much he wished he had been there with them. Andie was a tough girl to calm down once she got riled up; having Sam there would've made it a lot easier for Dean – she tended not to freak out as much when she was outnumbered. Dean she could take on quite easily. So wrapped up in thinking about his little brother, Dean barely heard the footsteps behind him and just assumed it was Andie; she a quiet, cat-like way of moving around.

"Are you sure we should just let the Trickster go?" He said to her. Then he turned around; it wasn't Andie. It was Cal; the down on his luck kid from the diner; and he had a gun pointed at Dean's chest.

"Gimme your wallet." He said nervously.

"Whoa; whoa, buddy. Just relax." Dean told him calmly, holding up his hands.

"I am relaxed!" Cal yelped, his hand shaking.

"Ok, ok." Dean said nodding. "Nobody wants this to end the wrong way; let's just talk about it a sec."

Andie was stealing the shampoo and conditioner bottles from the bathroom when she heard a gunshot ring out from the parking lot. Her heart jumped. "DEAN!" She screamed. She dropped her bag and ran out of the motel room; she could see Dean's bleeding body just behind the trunk of the Impala. "Dean!" She cried out as she dropped beside him and rolled him over. "Not today…it's not supposed to happen today…" She closed her eyes tightly; waiting for the too-familiar sound of Asia waking her up.

But no such sound came.

Opening her eyes; Andie was still in the motel parking lot clutching Dean in her arms. His eyes were closed and his blood was seeping into her jeans. "But…" She looked around. There were a few people looking on; a number of whom were on cell phones most likely calling an ambulance. "But I'm s'posed to wake up…"Andie mumbled sadly; tears in her eyes. "No…" She said in a voice so quiet it came out like squeak. Her face crumbled as she held Dean's head to her shoulder. "I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry." She sobbed into him.

**xxx**

The rest of the night passed like some kind of weird dream for Andie. An ambulance came and loaded Dean into the back of it. The local sheriff found and arrested Cal who admitted to shooting Dean and went willingly into custody. Andie road with Dean to the hospital but she knew all the work the paramedics were doing on him was futile; her heart knew he was gone and so did her brain.

They arrived at the hospital and a nurse took Andie to some plastic chairs where she could wait. It didn't take long for a sorrowful looking doctor to come out and tell her that there was nothing they could have done for Dean; the bullet had punctured his heart and he'd bled to death. The doctor asked if she has someone to come and pick her up. She told him she'd be fine while in her head wondered what the hell she'd do.



And then he was there.

Andie saw him at the end of the hallway and knew it was Sam before her eyes locked onto him. Ruby was standing beside him, stoic with her arms folded. But Sam was still just Sam. He walked towards Andie as she saw him.

Trying her best not to crumble into tears, Andie stood before him determined to say the only thing she could think of to say. "I'm-I'm sorry." She stammered as she collapsed into Sam's grasp. He held her tightly; tears falling from his own eyes. "It's my fault…it's all my fault; I couldn't save him, Sam. I'm so sorry…I'm sorry..."

"Andie." Sam pulled her away from him and looked her dead in the eyes. "We'll get him back; you hear me?" Her eyes were swimming with tears. "We will fix this. We have to." He hugged her again. "We have to."


	39. Chapter 39: Where To Begin?

**Follows the episode Mystery Spot. Credit for those parts goes to the writers/creators of the episode. **

**CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE**

**Day 220-285**

'Where To Begin?'

For some reason Andie didn't understand, Ruby let Sam come back with her. Maybe she was done with his training, maybe her plan all along had been to separate the brothers until Dean was gone; the specifics of her plans still eluded Andie. But she didn't care anymore. Dean was dead and she was going to bring him back. Sam had decided the Trickster was the only way they were going to succeed. Bobby helped them every now and again; tracking down leads and possible sightings, but the bulk of the time they spent alone; a secluded duo racing for the same prize.

They had Dean's Impala as well as all his possessions; it was like he was right there with them. Sam now used Dean's favorite sawn off shotgun as his first weapons preference. Andie; who had developed a slight distaste for guns seeing as they'd taken Dean away from her, focused on strengthening her power. She also wore a necklace of Dean's that he'd always had draped around his neck. It was a protection amulet that Dean once told her Sam had given to him for Christmas. In all the time she'd known him; she'd never seen him without it. Now it hung from her own neck as it had since the day at the hospital when the doctor had handed her Dean's effects. Andie also wore a thick, silver ring of Dean's on her right ring finger.

The pair of them had developed into a sort of contrasting yet similar pair. They approached demons the same way; no mercy. They were completely anti-social except with each other and had both resolved not to stop fighting until Dean was back with them.

Andie found herself missing strange things about Dean. Funnily enough she didn't miss kissing him as much as she missed their friendship before they'd gotten together. She missed their animated arguments; especially about music. Dean touting that ACDC, Black Sabbath and the Rolling Stones made real music while Andie maintained Bob Dylan, John Lennon and the Travelling Wilbury's were the real musicians; singing with heart and soul rather than just making noise with instruments. Andie would've given anything to be bickering with him again.

Andie and Sam arrived in Death Valley two weeks after Dean's death and took care of a demonic faction that had been steadily gaining power. They set their headquarters on fire with two gallons of gasoline; it seemed the most effective way.

A fortnight later, they were shooting down some vampires when a stray bullet nicked Sam's ribcage. He'd been out of action for a few days; but no matter how much Andie told him to take it easy; he refused. She couldn't blame him; she'd done the same thing when she'd been shot by the colt. Her wound was still healing but looked more like she'd bumped into something rather than been shot. Her scar was still there but the bruising was almost gone. She didn't like the connection between Dean dying and her healing at all.

It turned out that Sam's bullet wound wouldn't be the first Andie would have to stitch up. Over the months she became an expert in bullet extraction and could stitch up a shallow wound without leaving a mark. Sam also got some good experience in taking care of Andie. Though she could maneuver bullets away from herself using her telekinesis; she tended to be the clumsier of the two of them having fallen down two wells, a mine shaft and once twisting her ankle getting awkwardly out of the Impala.

They created sort of a base camp in an abandoned farmhouse where they taped up every piece of information they had on the Trickster. Maps; pictures; reports; anything that would help them find him. She and Sam often spent all night trading theories and possible locations for where to go next. Bobby gave them their space but often left messages on Sam's phone; most of the time saying he hoped they weren't doing what they were doing – sitting alone in a room obsessing over the Trickster. They didn't normally respond to Bobby's messages. That was until six months after Dean's death when he left the one message they'd been hoping to hear.

"_Sam? Andie? I found him."_

**xxx**

Sam and Andie drove directly to the rundown house where Bobby had told them to meet him. Sam had his suspicions. After months of no leads and dead ends with the Trickster; Bobby had just stumbled on him? It didn't make sense. Andie on the other hand was so desperate to have Dean back she didn't care if it was a hoax; it was also hope. And she didn't want to lose that.

When the two of them arrived, Bobby was kneeling over what appeared to be a summoning ritual complete with candles; chalk outlines of symbols and small bowls of incense. He heard the two of them approach and came at Sam with a big hug.

"It's good to see you kids." He said gratefully.

"What're we doin' here Bobby?" Sam asked; his face as stoic as it ever had been.

Andie had noticed he'd been showing less and less emotion as time went on. It worried her; but she was just the same. "Where is he?" She asked Bobby, referring to the Trickster.

"Well; this is the last place we're sure the Trickster worked its magic." Bobby answered them.

"So?" Sam shrugged.

"So; you two want this thing?" He stepped back towards his sacrament. "I found a summoning ritual to bring the Trickster here."

"What do we need?" Sam asked as he and Andie walked almost in unison towards the equipment set up on the floor.

"Blood." Bobby told them.

"How much blood?" Andie asked.

"Ritual says near a gallon." Bobby said with a sigh. "And it's gotta be fresh, too."

"Meaning we gotta bleed a person dry." Sam realized.

"And it's gotta be tonight." Bobby nodded. "Or not for another fifty years."

"Then let's go get some." Sam said with resolve, turning for the door. Andie was right behind him.

"You break my heart, kids." Bobby said in a low voice as he watched them.

"I'm not gonna let you two murder an innocent man." He told them firmly.

"Then why'd you bring us here?" Andie retorted. "We came to get Dean back."

"And to do that someone deserves to die?" Bobby countered.

"Dean didn't deserve to die!" Andie snapped. "Give me ten minutes and I'll find someone who does!"

"If you're not willing to do this; why'd you bring us here?" Sam asked.

"Why?!" Bobby yelled in awe. "Because it was the only way you'd see me! Cos I'm trying to knock some sense into ya! Both of ya! And cos I thought you'd back down from killin' a man!"



"You thought wrong." Sam told him in a scarily calm voice. "Leave the stuff; we'll do it ourselves."

Bobby shook his head. "I told you; I'm not gonna let you kill-"

"It's none of your damn business what I do!" Sam yelled.

"You want your brother back so bad…" Bobby said as he reached for his duffel bag and pulled out a large, sharp dagger. "Fine."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, looking between Bobby and the knife.

"Better me than a civilian." Bobby handed the blade to Sam.

Sam didn't take it. "You're crazy, Bobby; I'm not killing you."

"Oh; now _I'm_ the crazy one." Bobby said sarcastically. "Look, Sam...I'm old...I'm coming near the end of my trail…but you can keep fighting. Saving folks. But you need your brother. So let me give him back to ya."

Sam had tears in his eyes; emotion coming back to him as though it had never left. "Bobby…" he shook his head.

"You and Dean...you boys are the closest thing I have to family…" he handed the knife to Sam again. "I wanna do this."

Sam sighed and slowly took the knife. "Ok." He agreed in a low voice.

"Good." Bobby nodded back. Then he turned around, got down on his knees and prepared for the inevitable. "Just make it quick."

"Yeah; ok, Bobby." Sam said as he silently handed the dagger to Andie and removed a wooden stake from inside his jacket. "But you wanna know why?" He lunged straight for Bobby and slammed the stake through his heart. "Because you're not the real Bobby." He whispered evilly into his ear.

The blood poured out of Bobby's back onto the symbol he'd drawn as his body fell heavily into the centre of the whole ritual. Andie and Sam waited expectedly for Bobby to turn into the Trickster. But he didn't. At least not right away; he allowed Sam and Andie both to think they'd killed their friend for no reason before he appeared clapping beside them; Bobby's body having mysteriously vanished.

"You're right." The Trickster said with a smirk. "I was just messing with ya." He started circling them. "Pretty good though, Sam. Smart. Let me tell ya; whoever said Dean was the dysfunctional one has never seen _you_ with a sharp object in your hands. Holy Full Metal Jacket!" he laughed.

"Bring him back." Sam muttered.

"Who Dean?" The Trickster played dumb. "Didn't my girls send you the flowers? Dean's dead. He ain't coming back. His soul's downstairs doing the hellfire rumba as we speak."

"Just take me back to that Tuesday. Or Wednesday; when it all started." Andie piped up; her throat tight and sore with all the tears she was keeping inside. "Please. We won't come after you; I swear."

"Oh; you swear?" The Trickster repeated skeptically.

"Yes; I do." Andie said firmly.

"I dunno…" The Trickster said slowly; obviously just toying with them. "Even if I could-"

"You can!" Andie cut in desperately.



"True." The Trickster nodded. "But that don't mean I should." He leant towards them. "Sam. Andie." He said firmly. "There's a lesson here that I've been trying to drill into the both of ya."

"What lesson?" Andie asked as she limply shrugged her arms.

"This obsession, Andie!" he said loudly as he stepped towards her. "This obsession you have to save Dean? It's in your blood. When your papa died you're mama went insane trying to bring him back. Hell you were just a kid when she killed herself...why do you think she did that?"

Andie swallowed hard; the memory of her mother's suicide used to haunt her nightly until a trick of Ruby's to try and get her telekinesis inadvertently gave her freedom. She didn't at all remember her father, Dylan; she only had one picture of him. A picture that was stuck in the pages of her mother's journal that was now in the skanky hands of Bela. But of what she knew of her mother's suicide; it had been a desperate attempt to bring Dylan back. It had failed and set up a good ten years where Andie wasn't sure she'd make it through. She'd left the foster home she was placed in when she was thirteen and wound up homeless on the dangerous Sydney street; Kings Cross, for five years before she'd saved enough money to get a place to live. In short; Andie had worked hard to get where she was and didn't want to end up cutting her life short like her mother had. But saving Dean...that was different wasn't it? He wasn't her husband, he was her best friend. He hadn't deserved to die; it wasn't his time. He was a good man; a hero. Hero's aren't supposed to die.

Meanwhile, the Trickster had turned his attention back to Sam. "And don't you get how you and Dean can't just keep sacrificing yourselves of each other? Nothing good comes out of it. Just blood and pain. Dean is your weakness." He told Sam. "And the bad guys know it, too." He turned to Andie. "And sweetheart; all of this? Its gonna be the death of ya; just like it was your mother." He took a few steps back. "Andie; sometimes you just gotta let people go."

"I love him." She said in a strangled voice. "I need him." The truth in her words only hit her as she said them; making her tears flow freely and without her control.

"He's my brother." Sam echoed her; similar tears in his eyes.

"Yep." The Trickster nodded; unaffected by their emotion. "And like it or not…this is what life's gonna be like without him."

"Please." Andie pressed. "Let me have that day back." Her voice cracked as she spoke; sobs breaking through of the blockade she'd placed there after Dean's death.

The Trickster sighed and tossed his head back exasperatedly. "I swear; it's like talking to a brick wall." He looked between both Andie's and Sam's heartbroken faces. "Ok, look. This all stopped being funny months ago. I'm over it."

"Meaning what?" Sam asked.

"Meaning that's for me to know." He pointed at Sam. "And you to find out." He clicked his fingers.

**xxx**

**back to day 204**

"_But you better promise me I'll be back in ti-i-ime…"_ the song came loudly over the radio; waking Andie out of deep sleep. _"Gotta get back in time…."_

Dean wasn't at the foot of her bed; he was brushing his teeth in the bathroom. "You gonna sleep all day?" He called to Andie as he saw her waking up. She had a weird look on her face. "I know." He nodded at the radio. "No Asia. This station sucks."



Andie looked to the clock radio; it read Wednesday. She was back. Dean was alive. "It's Wednesday?" She asked him hopefully; praying he wasn't a dream.

"Yeah; usually follows Tuesday." Dean told her, turning to wash his toothbrush under the tap. "Turn that crap off; would ya?"

Andie got straight out of bed and made a beeline for Dean, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. She could tell he was taken aback but he hugged her back asking her how many Tuesdays had she been through. "Enough." She muttered; happy and relieved tears in her eyes. She pulled away and kissed him lovingly. "I just…" She held her hands on his chest; feeling his breathing and his heartbeat; finally believing he was alive. "I'm so glad you're real." She said with a tearful laugh. "Wait; what do you remember?" She asked as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

"I remember you were pretty freaked out yesterday and running into the Trickster." Dean said; his hands resting on her hips. "That's about it."Andie nodded; calm tears still slipping down her cheeks. Dean swept his hand gently across her cheek; wiping away her tears with his thumb. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah." She smiled then put her arms around him in another big hug. "Yeah; I'm sure." She sighed into his shoulder. "Let's go." She said quickly pulling away.

"No breakfast?" Dean asked.

Andie pecked him on the forehead. "No breakfast."

"Alright; I'll pack the car." Dean offered as he headed for the door.

"No!" Andie yelped, yanking him back by his arm. "You're not going _anywhere_ alone."

"It's just the parking lot." Dean countered.

"I don't care; you stay in here; inside." Andie told him sternly. He gave her a strange look. "Please just...just trust me."

"Dean?!" Sam's voice rang through the motel as he crashed through the door.

"Sammy?" Dean couldn't believe he was seeing his little brother. "What're you doing here?"

"Are you ok?" Sam walked up to his brother and hugged him.

"Yeah; I'm fine…" Dean told him; looking at him and Andie. "Alright; what happened? How did Sam know about the whole Tuesday's thing?"

Andie and Sam shared a knowing look that also said 'don't tell Dean'. "Ruby." Sam shrugged. "She told me."

"How'd you get back here?" Dean inquired.

"Ruby." Sam said again.

"Where is she?" Andie asked; glancing out the door.

"Gone." Sam sighed. "I told her I was done; she said she wasn't going to train me if I couldn't commit so she dumped me here and split." He shrugged. "So I guess I'm back with you guys; if that's ok?"

"Like you have to ask." Dean told him; tossing his brother his bag. "Take that to the car; would ya? She won't let me outside." He jabbed his thumb at Andie.



For the first time in a long time; Dean was the one who was waiting for Andie to finish packing; not the other way around. Every time she packed an item in her bag it in some way reminded her of one of the many deaths Dean had suffered. Sam had taken everything out to the car and Dean was waiting for her by the door.

"Hey; you don't look so good, Morgan." He noted. "Did something else happen?"

"No…I just had a really weird dream." Andie said quietly as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"What position were we doing?" Dean asked her.

She glanced at him and he gave her a cheeky grin. She smiled weakly back and headed out the door behind him; glancing back at his empty bed as she did so and remembering all too well how many days she's woken up without him.

**xxx**


	40. Chapter 40: Home Sweet Home

**CHAPTER FOURTY**

**Day 265**

'Home Sweet Home'

Sam was first to push through the front door of the musty mansion he, Andie and his brother would be calling home for the next couple of days. There was only one motel in the small town of Thelroy and it was booked up for a local wedding so Andie had discovered this abandoned home, complete with old furniture, for them to stay at. Sam had looked up its history and found out that it was a deceased estate; the old owner had died years ago and no one had claimed the house so it had been boarded up and forgotten about – that was until now.

Andie followed Sam inside and immediately coughed due to the dust in the air. Still, it was nice to be in a house rather than a dingy motel. "This is...nice." She said as they came in.

"It's a craphole." Dean corrected her as he followed her inside. "But it's a free craphole."

Sam clicked on a light switch and was surprised to see the lights flicker on. "A craphole with power." He muttered as he head for the nearest socket to plug in his laptop.

The three of them were in town to investigate what Dean called their Grand Canyon. It was something he'd wanted to solve since he'd found out about it years ago. It was known as the Leap Year Ghost which inhabited and even older home than the one they were in; Morton House. The legend said that every four years at midnight on February twenty-eighth; it became the most haunted place in the country. And before Dean's contract came to a close; he wanted to solve it. He had just over two months left now and was determined to actually finish something before he left.

"I figure we get outta here at ten tonight; set up out the front of Morton House and wait til the clock strikes twelve; see what goes down." Dean suggested as he chucked his duffle bag on the couch.

"What kinda ghost wields this kinda power?" Andie asked as she shrugged off her jacket. She felt a twinge in her abdomen where her bullet wound was; that was about all the pain she felt from it now days. The bruising was gone; all that was left was a fancy scar.

"A bad one." Sam muttered as he typed at his laptop. "According to this website the former owner was an army guy; Freeman Dagget."

"What a crappy name." Andie commented as she started exploring the house. "Yell if you need me." She called to the boys.

"What're we talking arsenal wise?" Dean asked as he came over to his brother. "Rock salt bullets?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah…" he said; a little too airily.

"Hey, Sammy." He clapped him on the shoulder. "You alright?"

"Yeah; just look at all this." He pointed to his computer screen to a list of names. "All of these people went missing in this area on February twenty-ninth. What's the bet they all stopped by at Morton House?"

"Well; it's a surefire date spot." Dean brought up. "Take a girl to a ghost house; she gets all scared and boom; straight into your waiting arms."

Sam scoffed and went back to searching. These days when Dean made a crack about hitting on women it seemed to always make Sam laugh. He and Andie had been together pretty much since he'd come back from training with Ruby. That had been a pretty fruitless effort in itself. Ruby was ruthless; she wanted Sam to be able to fight and think like a demon because in her words that was the _'only way to win'_. Then all of a sudden, 

Ruby had come to him and told him something had gone wrong and Dean had died. It was only after six months of fighting alone with Andie against the Trickster that they'd been able to reverse what had happened. But now Sam had to get used to the idea that his brother and Andie, who he'd come to think of as a sister, were sleeping together. They weren't a couple who were fond of public displays of affection; but it was still strange for Sam to wake up in a motel where the beds were in the same room and see them cuddling together in their sleep. Aside from that; they were pretty much the same. They bickered, they fought; it was just that now they 'made up' in a whole different way than before.

"Oh my God!" Andie's voice rang from the basement. "Guys; you gotta see this!"

Sam and Dean both followed Andie's calls downstairs where she was standing in front of what looked like thirty or so dead potted plants. "What the hell's all this?" Sam asked as they arrived beside her. Sam realized she looked incredibly excited.

"It's weed!" She yelped.

"Weeds?" Dean furrowed his brow. "Honey; not to be pedantic but there's probably a reason why they're down here…"

"No; not weeds. _Weed_." Andie corrected him. "Chronic. Dope. Mary Jane. Pot. Reefer."

"I get it." Sam stopped her. "Someone sold weed outta this place?"

"Probably what it was used for." Andie suggested. "Perfect place to grow it. Damp; cold; and the cops would never find it." She kicked one of the pots. "This stuff is long past its used by date."

"How do you know so much about this?" Dean asked her.

"I used to sell it back in Sydney." Andie shrugged as she headed back for the staircase.

Sam and Dean looked at each other. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" They called following her. Dean pulled her back by her elbow. "You were a dealer?"

"Not in so many words but yeah; I guess you could call it that." She smiled.

Dean was shocked at the ease as which she was admitting this. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "Look; I'm not proud of it but I left that foster home when I was 13 and lived on the street; had to make money somehow. I was homeless in Sydney on King's Cross; for crying out loud. I'm lucky I never had to sell my body." She turned and went back up the stairs.

"King's Cross?" Dean inquired as he followed her closely.

"It's this street in inner-Sydney where if you're homeless you're a dealer, a murderer or a hooker." Andie informed him. "I was dealer; went by the name Veronda."

"Veronda?" Sam laughed.

"Yeah; got it from the word Veronderstel; it's Dutch for Imagine." Andie told him with a smile. "I got it from Marta; this crazy, Dutch woman who lived in a box next to the railway."

Dean thought for a second. "Imagine…don't tell me it's after the John Lennon song?"

"Of course; who else? That man saved me. Anyway; I was only a dealer for like six months but I made a killing." She continued. "That's how I got my bike which is how I got out of Sydney and ended up here."

"Huh; never thought of you as a pot-head." Sam commented.

"Ooh; no. I never smoked the stuff. First rule of dealing; don't dip into your own stash. Rookie mistake." She tutted him as she headed for the kitchen.

"Wait; you told me when I met you you'd only been in the states a year." Dean remembered.

"I did?" She turned to him. "Oh yeah; I did. I didn't want you digging up anything on me." She laughed a little. "Not that you'd find anything criminal; Veronda never got herself caught." She winked at him. "Truth is I've been in America since I was nineteen—did I not tell you this?"

"You did not." Dean muttered as they arrived in the kitchen.

Andie proceeded to get herself a glass of water from the sink. "Well, you live you learn." She put her glass down and kissed Dean briefly on the lips. "I'm gonna go see if the showers work."

"I'm learning so much about you." Dean called bitterly after her. He scoffed and turned to share an amused eyebrow raise with his brother and realized he wasn't there. "Sam?"

"In here!" Sam called back.

Dean found his brother back at his laptop. "So I'm dating a drug-dealer." He said as he sank into the couch.

"Don't make this a _thing_ Dean." Sam told him. "It's not like she still does it. Anyway, you knew she lived on the street."

"Yeah; but I didn't...I guess I didn't know how hard her life was…" Dean admitted. "She's so easygoing..." He had a sudden thought. "Oh, maybe it was all the weed…"

"I didn't smoke it you idiot!" Andie hollered at him from the second floor staircase.

"I didn't say you did!" Dean yelled back.

"Yeah; you two are totally compatible." Sam chuckled under his breath.

"Shut up." Dean cursed him. "I'm going to get some beer; you want anything?"

"No thanks, I'm good." Sam assured his brother.

About twenty minutes after Dean left, Andie came back downstairs in clean jeans and one of Dean's shirts. That was something else Sam had to get used to; Andie liked to wear Dean's clothes. Well, actually, she claimed she only used them as a last resort since most of her clothes had been on the back of her bike when Bela had shot her, but Sam had a pretty certain feeling she liked them a lot more than that. She told Sam there were bedrooms on every level but she claimed the most comfortable looking beds were on the second floor.

Dean came back soon after with beer and pizza so the three of them had dinner together; all thoughts of Andie's former life as a drug dealer out of their minds. They were more focused on the Morton House. It was currently seven o'clock and, assuming, they were going to be up all night looking for the ghost, Andie wanted to get a couple of hours sleep. Dean agreed this was a smart thing to do and followed her quickly up the stairs.

Sam pushed the sound of their giggling out of his head and went back to his laptop to continue his research on another project. One of the positives for Sam out of Andie and Dean's relationship was that when they were off together; he could work on his solution to save Dean without being interrupted. And it was all thanks to Ruby that Sam had a helpful lead. He was a human who had created a potion that made him live forever. Their father, John, had written about him in his journal. Sam opened that journal and had it by his computer as he researched the possible locations for this guy. He didn't want Dean or Andie to know what he was doing until he had his plan all worked out.

**xxx**

Sam had set the alarm on his watch for nine-thirty that night in case he fell asleep at his computer – which he did. He woke up with his face on the keyboard. Stretching; he got to his feet and made his way upstairs to wake up Dean and Andie. He knocked as he went into their room and saw them both asleep, Andie in Dean's arms, and covered with a blanket.

"Guys; wake up." Sam yelled, clapping his hands loudly. "We gotta get to the Morton House." He kicked the end of their bed.

"Piss off, Sammy." Dean grumbled; not opening his eyes.

"You want this thing to start killing people?" Sam asked them. "Come on!" He yanked off their blankets.

"You took such a gamble that we weren't still naked." Andie growled and she opened her eyes.

After a little more coaxing, Sam managed to get Andie and Dean out of bed and into the Impala. They drove towards Morton House; Sam reiterating everything they knew about the house again so they were all up to speed.

"We get it, Sammy." Andie said as she stifled a yawn. "Big bad ghost; we'll kill it. Don't worry."

"Don't call me Sammy." He told her firmly.

She held up her hands, a mock surrender, in response, leant her head against the backseat and closed her eyes. She didn't get a long time to doze before Dean started up the radio. _We're An American Band_ by Grand Funk Railroad was blasting through the speakers as the pulled up beside Morton House. It was the perfect picture of a haunted house. Leafless trees hung scarily around the perimeter casting freakish shadows on the outer walls. The local police had set up a wire fence to keep trespassers out but it was easily climbable.

Sam and Andie peered through the window of the Impala with their torches shining on the house while Dean slowed down out the front. It appeared still and undisturbed before them; but haunted houses tended to look that way. Saying he'd find a place to hide the car, Dean sped up and they continued on.

Dean parked the car under a tree about thirty feet from the house and the three of them waited. It didn't take long before something started happening in Morton House. At first Andie thought it was the ghost…but since when did ghosts carry torches and travel in packs.

"Great." Sam muttered under his breath. "More idiots braving the ghosts."

"Hey; if there is no ghost we should so spook em for funzies." Andie suggested.

"Well; we can only hope. Either way we should get 'em outta there." Dean said. "People start dying after midnight." He checked his watch. "It's eleven thirty. Let's move."

**xxx**


	41. Chapter 41: Welcome To The House Of Fun

**CHAPTER FORTY-ONE**

**Day 266**

'Welcome To The House Of Fun'

Dean, Sam and Andie loaded up their guns and grabbed their torches before they left the Impala for the Morton House. As they moved towards the front door; they heard screams of '_Oh my god!'_ as well as thundering footsteps all around the house. Dean led the way through the front door and the three of them followed the yells. As they entered another hallway shouts and swears appeared to be directed at them so Dean took the lead and they approached them.

"Police officers! Don't move!" He roared at what could now be seen as two young men, one with a beard, obviously very afraid. "Alright; alright; take it easy."

"Let's see some identification." Sam told the boys. "Let's see some ID!"

The younger of the two men who had what seemed to be a camera attached to his face and shakily removed a wallet from his pocket. "Are we-are we under arrest?" he asked with a quivering voice.

Dean handed the wallet to Andie who opened it and read his license. "Wanna explain that weirdo outfit, Mr. Corbett?" she asked him with a blank expression.

"Um, ahh…" he stammered.

"Whoa…I know you…" The bearded man said to Sam and Dean as he flicked his flashlight between them. "Yeah; I know both you guys…yeah…"

Sam looked at the man more closely. "Holy s--t." He cursed.

"What?" Dean asked him.

"Ah…West Texas." Sam said as he tried to remember. "The thing we had to take out – those two goofballs that almost got us killed. The, um…Hellhounds or something?"

Dean took a closer look at the bearded man. "F--k me." He muttered.

"Ok; we're not Hellhounds anymore – didn't test that well." The bearded man said.

"What's going on?" Corbett asked his comrade.

"They're not cops, buddy, not at all." The bearded man told him.

"Ed, Ed, Ed." Dean remembered. "You had a different partner last time, didn't ya? He around here somewhere?"

"Harry; yeah." Ed nodded. "He's, ah, he's running around, chasing ghosts."

"Ok." Dean said with a patronizing smile. "Well, listen, you and Rambo need to get your girlfriends and get the hell outta here." Dean told Ed.

Ed, no longer scared, started laughing and stepped up to Dean. "Alright; listen here Chisel Chest."

Andie had to stifle a laugh into Dean's shoulder.

"We were here first." Ed said trying to sound firm. "We've already set up base camp." He shrugged. "We beat you."

Dean turned to Andie and smiled. "They were here first."

"Huh." She muttered. Then without looking she used her power to push Ed back against the wall.

"Oh God!" He screamed.

"Simmer down and I'll let you go." She grinned at him.

"What are you?" Ed asked as he frantically tried to grab a hold of something on the wall in case he fell.

"I'm telekinetic." She told him, making her eyes as wide as she could. Then she muttered the Twilight Zone theme.

"Ed." Sam walked up to him. "Where's your partner?"

"Lemme down and I'll tell ya." Ed said in a squeaky voice.

"Let him down, sweetheart." Dean muttered to Andie out of the corner of his mouth. "He runs; you can have him." Andie simply dropped her hand and Ed fell heavily to the floor.

Ed straightened himself as best he could. "This way." He told them as they head out of the room. Andie, Dean and Sam were right behind him. Corbett brought up the rear.

"What are you doing at the Morton House, Ed?" Dean scolded him as they entered the living room of the house. "And on a leap year; what the hell were you thinking?!"

"We're here to spend the night, ok? It's for our TV show." Ed stopped in front of a couple of laptops that had been set up on an old desk along with some other equipment.

"What?" Sam yelped. "Great. Perfect."

"Yeah, nobody's ever spent the night before." Corbett added.

"Ah, actually, yeah they have." Dean retorted.

"Ah, we've never heard of 'em." Ed said, mimicking Dean's tone.

"You know why?" Andie joined in. "'Cos the ones that have; haven't live to talk about it."

"Come on; I don't believe you." Ed laughed.

Sam slammed his duffle bag down on the table and retrieved what he'd been working on earlier that night including all the names of people who went missing around the house. "Look. Missing Person's reports going back almost a half century. John Graham stayed on a dare, gone. Julie Wilkerson; gone." He handed the papers to Ed. "There are tons more. All of them came just to 'stay the night through'. All of them on a leap year. The only body they ever found was the last owner; Freeman Dagget."

"These look legit." Ed mumbled as he thumbed through the reports.

"They are legit!" Sam snapped. "Look; Ed, we don't got much time here, buddy. Starting at midnight your friends are going to die."

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!" Three voices were screaming as they came down the stairs. All of them had cameras strapped to them one way or another. "Guys; oh my God! We got one!" A young man with dark brown hair ran up to Corbett. "Corbett; we saw one! We saw one and it was awesome! It was a full apparition! It was classic!"

"It was amazing!" A thin, young Asian woman mimicked as she started hooking up her camera to the computers on the table.

The brown haired guy saw Sam and Dean for the first time. "Hey…aren't those the a--holes from Texas?" he asked Ed.

"Yes." Ed confirmed.

"Alright, let's have this little reunion across the street, shall we?" Dean spoke up. "Come on, come on. We'll get you ice-cream; our treat; whaddya say?"

"No, look at this! Honest to God proof!" The Asian woman said pointing excitedly at the computer.

Sam, Dean and Andie moved around to see what all of them were looking at. On the screen was a video cameras view of what Dean knew was a Death Echo; in particular a man being shot down. Death Echo's were nothing special and certainly not dangerous. But Ed and his buddies were buzzing; chatting about readings and reliving the moment they saw it. Sam pulled Andie and Dean out of earshot of the group.

"Think we're off on this?" Sam asked his brother. "I mean; that was just a Death Echo..."

"Yeah; but what's it doin' here?" Dean asked. "Did anybody get shot here?"

"No; not that I could find." Sam shook his head; thinking back to all his research; there'd been nothing about a shooting at the Morton House.

"What's a Death Echo?" A camera man in glasses asked.

Looking at him, Andie saw he had a microphone and earphones on; he could hear everything they were saying.

"Look, if we got a problem here, that ghost ain't it." Sam told him.

"What's a Death Echo?" He asked again as he walked towards them.

"Echoes are trapped in a loop." Andie spoke up tiredly. She'd read about them in her mother's journal years ago and dealt with them in the past. "They keep replaying how they died over and over and over again; usually in the place where they were gagged. It's about as dangerous as a scary movie…" She trailed off as she noticed the man's camera move down and settle directly at her chest. "I'm sorry; apparently my breasts have something more important to say so I'll just wait 'til they're finished."

Dean, who had been inspecting the staircase, turned around the moment he heard Andie mention her boobs. He looked up at the guilty-faced camera man and stormed towards him. "Hey!" He shoved the camera into his head so he hit himself in his eye. "Look at her again and I'll shove that thing so far up your ass you'll see your own heart beat."

"S-sorry man." The camera man muttered nervously. "My bad."

"Dean." Andie smacked him on the back irritably. "I had it; you don't need to take control like that."

"But I was defending your honor." Dean protested.

"Guys; shut up." Sam stood between them. "Look, echoes aren't dangerous but that doesn't mean there's not something here that is." He said to the cameraman

"You're right; we gotta move." Dean agreed. "Come on; let's go!" He called to everyone. "Come on, pack it up."

Sam tried to move them away from their computers. "Time's running out; come on." They started pulling them out of the house.

"Whoa; but what about our equipment?" The Asian girl asked as Andie grabbed her arm.

"Don't worry Maggie." Ed said to her. "We'll be fine; they're just pissed cos we found something."

"Move!" Dean shoved Ed. "Come on." He, Sam and Andie ushered the four of them like shepherds towards the front door.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Ed screamed above all the noise. Everyone quieted down. "Where's Corbett?"

"Maybe he's already out." Andie shrugged; remembering how scared he looked when they'd found him.

"No; I thought I saw him go back there." Maggie pointed towards the back room. "I was so pumped about the ghost…"

"_AAAGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!" _a bloodcurdling scream thundered off the walls.

"That was Corbett." Ed realized.

"Corbett!" They all started screaming and running up the stairs; ignoring Sam, Andie and Dean's yells.

"Guys! Guys!" Sam called. "Sh-t!" he growled.

"Come on!" Dean called to his brother and Andie as they followed the group of screaming people.

In the far distance; although it seemed to be coming from all around them, they could hear Corbett's yells of '_Lemme go! Help!_' in a terrified voice. They caught up with the group in what appeared to be an upstairs living room.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Dean yelled as he came in to the group who had scattered themselves frantically around the room.

Everyone fell silent as another cry of pain from Corbett hollered around the room. Andie looked at her watch in time to see the second hand pass the twelve. "Dean." She said in a hushed voice. He looked over at her. "It's midnight."

"Alright; he's not here; let's go." Sam said hurriedly. "Let's go, let's go, let's go." He grabbed Maggie and Harry and shoved them out into the hallway.

"Andie; move." Dean told her as he shoved the other cameraman, whose name they'd discovered was Spruce, out after Sam. "Come on, come on. Keep it moving, let's go."

Andie felt like a cow being shuttled onto a bus as she banged into Maggie and Harry as they group hurried to get out of the house. It was proving difficult with Ed and Harry wanting to go and find Corbett and Maggie's cries of how scared she was. On top of all this; they insisted on keeping their cameras running to catch the action.

"Move!" Dean was yelling at Spruce as he kept trying to turn around. "Move; make a left, move!" He thumped his camera hard and shoved him forwards. "Come on!"

But worse came to worse when they arrived downstairs and made a beeline for the front door; it was sealed shut. They had no way out.

**xxx**


	42. Chapter 42: Home Is Where They Heart Was

**CHAPTER FOURTY-TWO**

**Day 267**

'Home Is Where They Heart Was'

Dean and Sam both tried unsuccessfully to open the front door to no avail. Andie attempted breaking through it with her power; but it didn't even budge. Sam was inspecting the seals with his torch as Dean tried breaking the window. Nothing seemed to be working. The _Ghostfacers_, as they called themselves, were reviewing all of their camera footage they'd set up in the house to try and find exactly when and where Corbett had gone missing. Ed was at a separate laptop while Maggie, Harry and Spruce each scanned the footage of a separate camera.

Andie checked her watch again as she started pacing behind the boys. "It's 12:04 Dean." She sneered irritably. "Are you happy now?"

"Yeah; I am happy." He snapped back sarcastically.

"Let's go hunt the Morton House; you said." Sam mimicked Andie's annoyed voice. "It's our Grand Canyon. You got two months; Dean."

"Sammy; I don't wanna hear it." Dean told him.

"Two months!" Sam yelped in a loud whisper as he picked up a chair. "But instead; we're gonna die tonight!" He cracked the chair against the door. It smashed into kindling but didn't move the door at all.

"Whoa; whoa, whoa!" The cameraman who was filming the brothers, whose name they'd discovered was Spruce, yelled. Everyone else came over to them as well. Ed brought up the rear. "What the hell is going on?"

"I'll tell you what's going on!" Andie yelled. "Every window; every door; I'm guessing every way outta this place is sealed shut; we're stuck. Thank you very much!"

"Calm down, Leslie." Ed said with a wry grin as he came over to them.

"Leslie?" Dean made a face at Andie.

"Yeah; that was one of your names, wasn't it?" Ed folded his arms. "Leslie Wilson?"

"How'd you know that?" Andie asked, trying to sound aloof. Leslie had been one of the names she'd used when she'd arrived in America. She hadn't started using her real name until just before she met Sam and Dean about a year before.

"I know where to look." Ed told her. He whipped out a freshly printed piece of paper and read from it. "Andrea Morgan; born in Sydney Australia to Lily and Dylan Morgan, both now deceased. Alias's include Leslie Wilson, Veronda Sheppard, Joanna Lennon, Paula Carter and Jo Knee-depp."

"Jo Knee-depp?" Dean looked at her. "Because of Johnny Depp?"

"Hey; laugh all you want…Jo Knee-depp had some good times." Andie told him with a smirk.

"You've done some wild stuff." Ed said, handing his findings to Dean. "Leslie was arrested for stealing a car; Paula got caught for arson and Jo for some kinda incident with a farm animal at the Central Park Zoo?"

Andie pointed a finger at him. "Hey; that goat stole my flask; what was I s'posed to do, _not _punch it?" she snapped defensively.

Dean scanned the paper in his hand. He was learning so much about Andie and her life before she met him. For some strange – and most likely arrogant – reason; he didn't really see her having all that exciting of a life before she'd met up with Sam and Dean. In reality; he couldn't have been more wrong.

"Can we get back on track?" Maggie yelped. "The doors, wh-why are they sealed?"

"It's like a supernatural lockdown." Dean said loudly as he scrunched up the paper on Andie into a ball and tossed it aside. "Whatever took Corbett doesn't want us to leave. And it's no Death Echo; it's just a bad mother and it wants us scared."

"Or it just wants us." Maggie added. Her statement was met with a very tense silence.

Harry went over to Maggie and held her hand as Spruce started making some very nervous noises. "Um…er, guys...?" He said urgently. "The camera's fritzin' again."

"Whoa, guys, EMF's starting to spike!" Ed added as he checked the device in his hand.

"Everybody stay close; something's coming." Sam said as they huddled towards the door.

Dean grabbed Andie's wrist and pulled her back into his chest and the all waited in deep angst as everything electrical that the _Ghostfacers_ had set up whirred and crackled.

"Whoa!" Harry and Ed yelled pointing into the living room. Another Death Echo had appeared. This one was another man who looked like a vagrant and was stumbling drunkenly on the spot.

"Whoa…guys, is this the same echo as you saw before?" Dean asked; keeping an arm protectively around Andie.

"No; we saw a different guy." Harry replied.

"Multiple echoes?" Dean said to his brother. "What the hell is going on?"

"Beats me." Sam shrugged at him.

Dean thought a moment. "Ok, alright. Stay here." Dean pushed Andie slightly towards Sam and walked towards the echo. "Hey! Buddy! Hey wake up!" He screamed in the echo's face but the man made no reaction that he saw or heard Dean. "You're dead! Hello!"

"What's he doing?" Harry asked Sam as Ed kept checking the reading on the device in his hand. "What's he doing?"

"It's rare but sometimes you can shock an echo out of its loop; if you can talk to the part of the ghost that's still human." Sam said. "But usually you have to have some kinda connection to the deceased."

"Come on; wake up!" Dean was still yelling. "Be dead, huh?!" Suddenly the echo turned towards Andie and the others; but he wasn't looking at them. He was looking at something in the distance.

"Wait; do you hear that?" Andie looked up at Sam. She could hear the sound of a horn; almost like a train horn.

"What is that?" Sam asked. "Is that a train?"

"Snap out of it, buddy, huh?" Dean yelled. "Come on; what are you waiting for? You're dead!"

"Dean." Andie called to him as the sound got louder; as though it was approaching. Looking around; there was no sign of anything coming towards them. But then the echo was shrouded in a white and yellow light before he was knocked back off his feet and disappeared into nothingness. Everyone of the group let out a loud '_Whoa!_' as Andie ran up to Dean and looked towards the wall where the echo had apparently just evaporated. The two of them shared a worried look and then turned back to Sam whose face showed exactly the same look. One that said they were in way over their heads.

**xxx**

The group made their way upstairs onto the second level to continue looking for Corbett. They figured since they were stuck; they may as well use their time. And none of them wanted to stay still.

"Dude, there's no records of any of this here." Dean said to Sam in an anxious voice as they walked. "No one got shot here; obviously no one got run over by a train."

"Stay close." Sam said to Maggie who was standing behind him and Dean with Andie.

"Did the echoes take Corbett?" Maggie asked; filming the brothers with her handi-cam.

"Yes." Dean answered tensely. "I mean no! I mean…look, we don't know what's doing what. That's what we're trying to figure out; ok?"

"Stay close." Sam said again as Andie and Maggie drifted behind. He sighed and looked into Maggie's camera. "Ok; look, um…Death Echoes are ghosts, ok? And ghosts usually haunt the places where they lived or where they died-"

"Except these mooks didn't live or die here." Dean cut in.

"So what are they doing here?" Maggie asked.

"Hey; give the lady a cigar." Dean told her sarcastically. "Alright, seriously, does looking at this nightmare through that camera make you feel better or something?"

"Um…" Maggie lowered the camera and immediately put it back up to her eye. "Oh yeah, ah, yeah, I think so."

Dean made a face and followed Sam, Ed, Harry and Spruce into what appeared to be a study. Maggie and Andie brought up the rear. The room was dustier than all the others and was littered with boxes full of paper, rotting furniture and walls covered in animal heads.

"This is a lovely room of death." Andie muttered under her breath.

They all split up to look at different areas of the room. Andie joined Sam by an old filing cabinet where they found what appeared to be a certificate of some kind in a shattered frame. "Freemen Dagget." Sam read the name. "House's last owner. _Officially commended for twenty-five years of service at the Gamble General Hospital."_

"He a doctor?" Dean asked from the desk where he was leafing through papers.

"Nope. Janitor." Andie replied as she read the certificate.

"Well, this looks like his den." Dean commented as he shone his torch around the room. "What did you say; he died in '64?"

"Yeah; heart attack." Sam confirmed.

"What are these?" Maggie spoke up as she filmed a table covered in lifelong food. "Sea rations?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded as he came over and looked at them. "Army issued; three squares. Like a lifetime supply…"

"God; is that all he ate?" Maggie asked as she looked at the unappetizing food.

"One stop shoppin'." Dean mumbled as he went over to a locker and realized it was locked. "Hello; locked." He began looking for something to smash it open with.

"Oh, come on guys, I mean, how the hell is this supposed to find Corbett, huh?" Ed asked exasperatedly. "We should be diggin' up the friggin' floorboards right now."

"Check this out." Andie called from the corner. She'd found a bunch of weird army pamphlets. "_Survival Under Atomic Attack_." She read. "He was an optimist." A loud clunk made her jump. Dean had found a crowbar and pried open the locker easily. He lifted out a large, metal box and turned around to see Ed waving his EMF detector in his face. Dean gave him a look and then brushed past him. He heaved the box up onto the table where Andie was inspecting pamphlets and opened it. Ed, Harry and Spruce all came over with Sam to inspect what Dean had found.

"Crap…crap…" Dean mumbled as he lifted handfuls of useless papers out of the metal box. "Taxidermy…ok." he muttered as he pulled out a small book on the subject. "You said Dagget was a hospital janitor?" he asked Sam. His brother nodded. Dean picked up three small tags and read them. "Ewww…" he mumbled. "Got three toe tags here. One; death by gunshot. Two; train accident and three; suicide."

"Ewww…" Sam said with a grossed out look on his face.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Well, that explains why all the Death Echoes are here." Sam realized. Everyone around him, Ed, Harry, Maggie, Spruce and Andie, gave him a blank look. "Because they're _bodies_ are here." He raised his eyebrows at them. "Somewhere in the house."

"Dagget brought the remains home from the hospital…to play." Dean explained.

"Ewww!!" They all whined in unison.

"Oh my God; he was a necrophiliac?!" Andie yelped.

"Ew, no!" Sam yelled.

"Come on, Andie." Dean blanched. "No, he just...brought 'em home."

"Oh…" Andie sighed. "Wow…it is _not_ okay that I go to necrophilia first." she mumbled as she noticed Maggie leaving the room out of the corner of her eyes. Ed and Harry started asking Dean and Sam more questions about the echoes so Andie followed Maggie. "Where are you going?" she asked her when she caught up to her.

"We can cover more ground if we split up." Maggie explained as she went back down the hall. "You coming?"

Andie's first thought was '_Tell Dean'_ but she suppressed that immediately. Since when did she need to check with him before she went anywhere? Granted this wasn't like the time he got mad when she'd taken the Impala to get ice-cream, but the thought behind it was the same. Andie followed Maggie down the hall into what appeared to be a library.

"So that sarcasmo guy, he's your boyfriend?" Maggie asked as the two of them scanned the library very carefully with their torches.

"His name is Dean." Andie muttered back. "And yes; I guess he is." She paused. "What about you and that Harry guy? I saw him grab your hand…"

"Oh my god; did Ed see?" She immediately lowered her camera and looked Andie in the eye.

"I don't think so, why?" Andie asked. "Oh man, wait, are you in some kinda ménage à trois situation? You, Ed and Harry?"

"God no!" Maggie said with a grossed out face. "Ed's my brother. Well, adopted brother but still…"

"Oh, right…so he doesn't _know_ about you and Harry…" Andie realized. "That's a pickle."

"Yeah; so don't tell him, ok?" Maggie said anxiously.

"Whatever." Andie mumbled as the continued. A cold rush breezed over Andie's shoulders making her turn around. "Whoa." She breathed.

"What?" Maggie immediately put her security blanket – her camera – back up.

"Let's just keep moving." Andie told her as they started inspecting the room. "Corbett?" She called in a hushed whisper.

"Cor-bett." Maggie called out in a soft, sing-song voice.

They searched in silence for a couple of minutes which apparently was making Maggie more nervous; Andie could hear her heavy breathing from halfway across the room. She walked over and stuck to Maggie's side so if they did find something at least they were together. Andie found herself looking through the viewing window of Maggie's camera as they scanned the room. They both gasped as they caught their own reflection in a mirror. They turned sharply to the right gasped a little louder as they spied a freakish, stuffed eagle hanging out from the wall. They turned again and both screamed like bimbos in a horror movie before realizing it was Dean standing there with a steely look on his face.

Andie slapped him on the chest. "Don't do that in a bleepin' haunted house Dean!"

"Closer to the herd, ok?" Dean told them as he turned around.

"Maggie?" Harry's worried voice called as he came into the room.

"She's fine." Dean told him as he felt Andie slip her hand into his own. He looked back at her.

"It's a little scary here." She shrugged with a wobbly smile.

Dean smirked and held her hand firmly as they went back to Sam and the others.

"Harry?" Ed was calling, his eyes glued to his EMF detector. "Harry; I got an 8.6 and climbing fast." He said urgently. "Something huge is coming." They group reconvened together in the den with all the animal heads.

Harry checked out the detector. "Something big is coming; it's past eleven you guys!"

"Everyone stay put." Dean said firmly as Andie clung to his hand. All of a sudden there was a quick flash that made Andie jump but it was gone as soon as it had come. There was a soft clunk as something fell nearby. Dean scanned his torch around the room and immediately noticed his brother was missing. "Sam?" he called.

"Whoa…that was some surge." Ed said in a low voice.

"Where'd he go?" Spruce asked, referring to Sam, as he scanned the room with his camera.

"Sam?" Dean called again. He let go of Andie's hand and moved to where his little brother had been standing. That was when he noticed Sam's torch lying on the ground. Picking it up; Dean grew immediately uneasy. "_Sammy_!"

**xxx**


	43. Chapter 43: Free Man

**CHAPTER FOURTY-THREE**

**Day 267**

'Free Man'

"Sammy!"

"Corbett!"

"SAM!"

The Ghostfacers plus Andie and Dean were frantically searching the house for their two fallen comrades. But the house had fallen into a spooky silence. They arrived in the room where the first Death Echo had been spotted and separated to look around. Maggie and Harry went into one room while Spruce and Ed checked out an adjoining study.

"Sammy!" Dean was calling furiously. "SAM!!"

"Dean." Andie came up to him. "We'll find him, alright, but you gotta slow down."

"Slow down?!" Dean yelled.

"Yes!" Andie snapped back. "Dean; we gotta just think for a second, alright?" She grabbed him firmly by his shoulders. "Just stop. And think." She was relieved to see him listening to her. "Why would Dagget take them? Other than the fact that he's a bad mother." She added quickly as Dean opened his mouth to protest.

Dean sighed. "Who knows? He's the living dead; he can do what he likes." He rubbed his temple. "Ok…there's a reason; there's always a reason. We should go back to that den; search a little deeper."

"Good." Andie told him. "Clever. See? Now you wouldn't have thought of that if I hadn't told you to stop."

"Oh shut up." Dean rolled his eyes and turned to leave. Andie replied by grabbing his collar and kissing him firmly. Dean, finding himself lost in her kiss for a few moments, quickly had to put a stop to it. "We can't now; haunted house, haunted house, haunted house…later?"

"Yeah, good deal." Andie nodded quickly and turned Dean around by his shoulders and pushing him into the hall. Then they heard Maggie scream. Dean and Andie quickly turned and ran back to the other room. They were confused to see Harry and Ed in a brawl; Maggie watching on and Spruce filming the whole thing.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Dean yelled; getting between them and pulling them apart. "What the f--k are you doin'?! Cut it out! We're down by two people!" He shook his head at them and turned back to the empty room. "SAM!" he roared as he stormed out. "SAMMY!"

Andie trailed after him and they wound up back in the animal-head den pouring over some of the old papers and pamphlets on the desk. They were joined a few moments later by the Ghostfacers, cameras still on the whole thing.

"I can't hear him anymore." Andie said, referring to the crackling, electrical sounds that seemed to prelude a visit from Freeman.

"Maybe you scared him away with your big boobies." Maggie muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

"Oh, you're just jealous because from the waist up you look like a ten-year-old boy." Andie retorted; quite happy with herself at the speedy one-liner. "Snap! Even at a time like this I can still crank one out."

"Andie!" Dean called exasperatedly.

"Sorry." She mumbled walking over to help him.

"So Dagget was a Cold War nut, ok?" Dean said as he leafed through the papers. "He was an amateur taxidermist, he liked to slow dance with cadavers, he ate sea rations…so what the _hell_ are we lookin' for!" He slammed his fist on the table.

"Dean; think a sec." Andie told him. "It adds up. He was a hermit; he never left the house. All that food; he ate here, he worked here, he never left."

"What a horrible little life." Maggie noted.

"Yeah, a lonely life...a Cold War life." Dean added. Then he had a thought. He looked up at Andie. "Andie; he was scared."

Andie understood; anyone who was that obsessed with the world coming to an end would have a basement or bomb shelter to hide out. "He was scared." She repeated.

"He was f--kin' scared!" Dean hollered as he hurried out of the room. Andie and the Ghostfacers ran after him as he thundered down the staircase towards the basement amid there yells asking where he was going and why. "Guys like Dagget back then? The ones who were really scared of the Ruskies? They built bomb shelters. I'm guessing he's got one." Dean reached the basement door. "And I'll betcha it's in the basement." He kicked open the basement door and quickly went inside. Andie followed with Spruce at her heels and the door immediately slammed shut.

"Yeah; not funny guys." Harry yelled from the other side of the door.

"Yeah; open up!" Ed banged his fist against it.

"Umm…who closed the door?" Spruce asked as he turned his camera on it.

"It did." Dean realized as he pushed past Andie up towards the top of the stairs he'd only just begun to descend. "It wants to separate us."

"Can't you use your mojo on it?" Spruce asked Andie as he pointed the camera at her.

Andie waved her hand at the door; it didn't budge. "Apparently not." She said sarcastically to Spruce.

"Hey!" Dean banged on the door to get Harry and Ed's attention. "Listen to me! There's some salt in my duffle. Make a circle and get inside!"

There was a pause outside before Ed asked tentatively. "Inside your duffle bag?"

"In the f--kin salt!" Andie found herself squealing.

"In the salt you idiot!" Dean screamed, closing his eyes in disbelief.

"Oh, ok. Right." Ed muttered through the door.

Dean heard their footsteps hurry away and he continued down the staircase into the basement. He touched Andie's arm as he passed her. "You ok?"

"Morons like that deserve to die." She muttered; jeering her head up towards the top of the stairs.

"Hey!" Spruce yelped.

"Am I talking to you?" She snapped at him as she followed Dean down the stairs into the basement. It was even dustier than the rest of the house; and that was saying something. There was a visibly dusty film over everything as well as cobwebs stringing across every surface.

"Stay close, Morgan." Dean whispered to her.

"I'm fine." Andie replied.

"Yeah; I'm sure Sam thought the same thing and it got to him." Dean said.

"Please; don't give me that." Andie chided him. "I've been around supernatural predators for the last fifteen years. Werewolves, vampires, shapeshifers...you." She added with a smirk.

Dean scoffed. "Funny." He deadpanned.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Spruce spoke up from behind them.

"What?" Dean replied snippily as he continued to look for an entry to the bomb shelter. So far he was just finding ancient junk.

"Earlier; you and Sam?" He approached the subject carefully. "He said you only had two months left?"

"Yeh; it's complicated." Dean muttered as he came towards Spruce's camera to search behind the stairs. "Awhile ago Sam and…" he stopped himself and looked up into the lens. "Nah, nah, nah; I'm not gonna whine about my bullsh-t problems to some bullsh-t reality show. I'm gonna do my f--kin job!" with that he kept on searching.

"Is it…cancer?" Spruce asked.

"Shut up!" Dean snapped.

"Yes." Andie spoke up. "Yeah; it's cancer. Terminal." Dean looked at her strangely. She shrugged. It was easier than telling the truth. "We don't like talking about it." Andie said to Spruce.

"Oh yeah...I get that." Spruce nodded; apparently believing them.

Dean, about to retort, stopped himself when he heard a soft singing voice murmur in the air.

"_It's my party and I'll cry if I want to. Cry if I want to. Cry if I want to."_

"You hear that?" Dean asked Andie and Spruce.

"Is that music?" Spruce asked unnecessarily.

"It's comin' from behind this wall." Dean realized as he approached a large metal shelving unit covering most of one side of the basement. He tried to move it on his own.

"Dean; I have a much quicker way of doing that." Andie reminded him.

He looked back at her. "Oh yeah…" he stepped away. "Shift the f--ker."

Andie used her power to move the shelving unit completely off the wall. It revealed a steel metal door which had obviously not been opened in some time. "Phew." Andie exhaled. "Go Team Cancer."

"Wow; you're strong." Spruce commented as his camera found its view pointed at Andie's backside.

Dean stood in front of her, blocking Spruce's view, and flipped him off before barging into the steel door as hard as he could. It swung open and they saw Sam tied to a chair with a flimsy party hat on his head and Freeman Dagget standing over him with a knife to Sam's throat. "Sam!" Dean cried when he saw his brother. Freeman reeled back away from Sam so Dean took the opportunity and shot him twice in the chest.

"Dean." Sam said gratefully when he saw them.

As Dean untied his brother, Andie and Spruce looked around the bomb shelter. It was disgusting. For starters there was old food rotting all over the place as well as three decapitated and molding dead corpses set up around a table, also with party hats on. One of the bodies, Andie soon realized, was Corbett. His camera was still running but he had a sharp arrow through his neck and blood pooled under his head as he sat slumped on the table.

"Oh no…Corbett." Spruce muttered sadly as he viewed his friend through his own camera.

Sam, who was bleeding from cuts to his face, was soon on his feet and the four of them started to head out of Dagget's basement.

"So what's Dagget's deal anyway?" Spruce asked as he filmed Sam exiting the bunker.

"Loneliness." Sam answered tiredly as Dean helped him along.

"What; he hasn't heard of a real doll?" Dean cracked.

"See; you go to necrophilia too." Andie spoke up from over Dean's shoulder. "All I'm saying is that's weird."

"Nah, nah." Sam shook his head. "He was the Norman Bates; stuff your mother type of lonely." He sighed. "I mean, that's why he lifted these bodies from the morgue and threw himself a birthday party. Except they were the only ones who'd come." Sam gingerly touched his eye and winced. "Anyway so at midnight; he sealed them in the bomb shelter, went upstairs and OD'd on horse tranqs."

"How do you know this?" Dean asked.

"Cos he told me." Sam said.

"Ergh; you bonded?" Andie asked with an unpleasant look on her face.

"Oh…kay…so now that he's dead, what?" Dean asked. "Same song, different verse? Trying to get people to come to his party?" He glanced back at Corbett's lifeless body.

"Pretty much; yeah. Stay forever." Sam told him.

Dean emptied his gun of the used bullet cartridges. "Rock salt." He explained to Spruce who was filming him.

They headed back upstairs but the door was still locked; of course. Dean found a discarded crow bar and started banging away at it to his heart's content; but it barely made a scratch in the wood.

"Andie; do something." Sam said to her.

"My power doesn't work and I'm not going up there; he'll take my eye out with that thing." Andie said noting the ferocity that Dean was pummeling the door.

"Just do something." Sam mumbled tiredly. "I'm the one who's bleeding here."

"Fine." Andie grumbled heading a few more steps up. "Dean?" he didn't seem to hear her. "Dean!" She screamed. He looked at her. "Honey – don't wanna sound arrogant here – but if _I_ couldn't break it open; a crow bar ain't gonna cut it." He seemed to agree with her and gave up, panting from the exertion.

"Ah, hell, guys; I'm getting a ghost roll thing on my camera." Spruce called from the bottom of the stairs where he stood behind Sam. "Something's coming."

Andie descended a couple of steps and stood level with Spruce. "Ghost roll?"

He moved his camera towards her and reared back. "Oh my God!"

Before she could even turn around, Andie was grabbed off her feet by something from behind her and tossed through the air where she landed against the heavy cement floor. She barely had time to get to her feet before Dagget was advancing on her. But Dean was right behind him and shot him full of rock salt again. He disappeared in an instant and Dean was at Andie's side helping her to her feet.

"You ok?" he asked; glancing over her for injuries.

"Yeah." Andie grimaced as she shook her head to try and get her focus back; the room was still spinning.

"Take it easy; you alright?" Sam asked her as he arrived on her other side.

"Yeah; I'm awesome." She mumbled. Then she saw Dagget reappear behind Dean. "Dean!" She shrieked and pointed but he wasn't quick enough.

Dagget grabbed Dean by the back of his jacket and tossed him into the wall. He did the same to Sam. With Andie, he threw her over his head and she landed up on a sort of loft part of the basement where many old newspapers and empty cans called home. She peered over the edge and saw Dagget approaching Spruce but before she could even lift her arm to use her telekinesis, Corbett appeared at the basement doorway.

"Corbett?" Spruce called airily as Dagget turned and saw his victim facing him.

Corbett ran and took a flying leap at Dagget. The two of them tussled in a swirl of black smoke and white light before disappearing in a blinding burst of radiance. Andie had to turn her head away because the brightness of it all hurt her head. She kept her eyes shut tight until she heard Spruce's voice and Sam and Deans groans and grumbled of pain.

"You alright guys?" Spruce was saying. "You alright?"

"Andie?" Dean called when he noticed she wasn't with them.

"I'm up here." She said in a small voice. They all looked up and saw her waving from the loft.

"Come on." Dean reached for her and had to physically lift her down. He kept an arm around her waist when she was firmly planted beside him.

"Oh my God…" Spruce said, eying their bleeding faces with his camera.

Both Dean and Sam covered the lens with their hands.

**xxx**

When Andie, Dean, Sam and Spruce tried to get out of the basement; this time the door opened. They met up with Ed, Harry and Maggie who were huddled in the salt circle together and the group of them broke through the front door and out into the early morning sun. Andie, Dean and Sam walked as a trio down the porch steps, Dean keeping Andie on her feet since she'd hit her head quite roughly at some point in Dagget's attack. When their feet were firmly on the ground, Andie turned back to see Harry embrace Maggie in a comforting hug. Spruce; who'd bolted out of the house the first chance he got; was filming their exit from the house a few feet away. Before they left, Sam scribbled his cell phone number on a piece of paper and handed to Ed; telling him to call when they'd made the pilot episode of the show. With a manly slap on the shoulder, they parted ways.

But not for long. A week or so later they got a call from Ed saying they wanted them to come and see the pilot episode of _Ghostfacers_. In the garage of Ed's parent's house; Sam, Dean and Andie sat before a computer screen watching their experience at the Morton House play out in front of them. Andie was surprised at how much the cameras had picked up with the echoes as well as exposing Maggie and Harry's relationship. And also the lengths Ed had gone to to save them all; pretending he shared Corbett's feelings for him and spooking him out of his Death Echo loop; thus saving them all. As the episode ended, Harry and Ed came onto the screen dressed in cheap suits and sitting in armchairs in front of a small fire going over their Morton House experience. They ended the show with an interview Spruce had done with Corbett the day of his death; before they'd arrived at the house. Corbett was so excited and eager and told Spruce he thought that night 'All our dreams are gonna come true.' The show ended on a picture of Corbett that faded away revealing the words _In Memory of Alan J. Corbett, 1985-2008 – King of the Impossible. _

Andie, Dean and Sam sat open mouthed and puzzled before the screen as the credits rolled up. The Ghostfacers all stood around them with proud looks on their faces and drinking victory beers.

"So?" Ed spoke up after a few moments silence. "What did you guys think?"

Dean scoffed a little. "Y'know...I kinda think it was half-awesome."

"Half-awesome? That's full-on good!" Maggie yelped excitedly. "Right?"

Sam and Dean looked at each other, sharing a silent signal. Sam turned around to all the Ghostfacers. "Yeah; it's bizarre how y'all are able to…ahh…honor Corbett's memory while grossly exploiting the manner of his death. Well done." Sam told them as Dean silently kicked his bag under the table out of sight.

"Yeah; I liked…some parts." Andie added.

"Real tight rope you guys are walking." Dean muttered as he, Sam and Andie got to their feet.

"Yeah; see ya later guys." Sam said as they started to leave.

"No; that's reality man." Ed called after them in a slightly pompous voice. Dean, Sam and Andie turned back. "Yeah, Corbett gave his life searching for the truth and it is our job over here?" he motioned to his friends. "To share it with the world."

"Right." Sam mumbled as he tried to keep the grin off his face. "Well, our experience? Y'know what you get when you show the world the truth?"

"Straight jacket." Dean told them. "Or a punch in the face."

"Sometimes both." Andie added.

"C'mon guys; don't be Facer-Haters because we happen to have gotten the Footage of the Century." Harry told them with a smirk.

Dean and Sam exchanged a defeated look. "Well; you got us there." Dean said smiling. "See you round, guys."

This time they left for real. Once out of the house; they bolted to the Impala. The device Dean had left in his bag was about to scramble and ruin every piece of footage the Ghostfacers had found.

"We clean?" Sam asked his brother.

Shouts of 'NO!' came hollering up from the house. "Yeah; I think so." Dean grinned as he got into the driver's seat.

"What exactly was that thing?" Andie asked as she clambered into the backseat.

"Electro-magnet; wiped out every tape and hard drive they have." Dean told her.

"World just isn't ready for the Ghostfacers." Sam added.

"That's too bad." Dean said. "I kinda liked the show."

Sam chuckled. "It had its moments."

"Oh; you only liked it cos you were in it." Andie told them both.

"This is true." Dean confirmed as he started the Impala and sped them onto the road; the forlorn cries of the Ghostfacers disappearing with the dust the tires kicked up and forgotten just as quickly.

**xxx**


	44. Chapter 44: The Length I'll Go

**CHAPTER FOURTY-FOUR**

**Day 321**

'The Length I'll Go'

Andie was wide awake; as she had been since they hit day 300 of Dean's last 365 before he was sucked into hell. It wasn't as though she'd forgotten she needed to save him; but the finality that the three double zero brought was so sudden Andie had literally woken up in a cold sweat the morning after day 299. The reality that she had so few weeks left with Dean and no way to save him gave her many sleepless nights. They did not, however, have this affect on Dean who was snoozing quietly beside her. Sam was in a bed on the other side of the room sleeping in a similar way to his brother.

Rolling onto her back, Andie sighed heavily, searching her brain for scenarios that might get Dean out of his deal. She'd already looked into time travel; to go back and stop Dean before he made the contract. But she would also have to deal with Sam being killed as well as all the mental ramifications of time travel. Plus; she had no idea how to do it without some kind of demonic help so it wasn't the most colourful option.

Dean sighed in his sleep, rolled over and laid am arm over Andie's middle. She laid her on hand on top of his and closed her eyes; willing her brain to sleep. It worked in a way; her mind kept ticking with Dean and his contract, how they'd spent their final day, what would happen when he was taken, would simply clinging to his body as they dragged him away do anything? This deal was so final; the end. The magic behind it was unsurpassed; incomparable. She couldn't even hope to match it.

Suddenly the answer hit her like a Mack truck and she woke up almost jumping out of her bed. It was only then she'd realized she'd fallen asleep because Sam and Dean were already awake and sitting at the table having breakfast.

"Morning, sweetheart." Dean greeted her as he continued eating his breakfast burger.

"I got it!" She yelped as she shrugged off her blankets and hurried towards them in her pajamas. "I know how to save you!"

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked her curiously.

"I make a deal!" Andie said happily.

Dean furrowed his brow. "What?"

"I make a deal; like yours." Andie explained. "Except they'll give me the regular ten year wait 'til they take my soul; not one."

Dean almost laughed. "Are you insane? I'm not gonna let you do that."

"Last time I checked I didn't have to ask your permission." Andie replied curtly as she gathered some clothes to change into.

Dean got to his feet and followed her as she tried to ignore his reasoning. "You do when it involves selling your soul."

"It'll save you!" Andie snapped at him. "Then we got ten years to figure out how to save me."

"Ok; Andie, even if I agreed; you couldn't do this." Dean pointed out. "The Crossroads Demon is dead; Sammy shot her with the colt; she's gone."

"You thought the Trickster was gone, too." Andie countered with a smug smile. "And look how spot on you were with that." She sighed. "Worst thing that can happen is nothing which means we're in the same place we are now." She shrugged. "I'm doing it."

"This is the stupidest thing you've ever said!" Dean yelled at her.

Andie headed for the bathroom; too wrapped up in her own idea to really be listening to him. "Stupid or not; I'm doing it!" She yelled at him and then slammed the bathroom door in his face.

Dean turned to his brother who was trying not to laugh as he ate his breakfast. "You're laughing? She's gonna go kill herself for me and you're laughing?"

"No, no." Sam suppressed his giggling. "Just...you picked her, Dean." He told him with a shrug. "I coulda told you she'd do something like this sooner or later." He laughed again.

"You're helpful." Dean told him bitterly. "You are so helpful."

**xxx**

Andie had heard enough about the Crossroads Demon to know that she needed to go to a place where three roads met, or crossed, have a photo of herself in a tin with some other ingredients. It took Andie a grand total of two hours to get everything together; she was shocked at the ease at which she managed to organize herself, especially with Dean over her shoulder. She had to hand it to him; by the time the sun set he hadn't weakened his resolve.

"How many ways do I have to say no?" he yelled at her as she packed her bag.

"As many as you like; I'm still going." Andie told him as she looked around for her cell phone.

"You're not taking the car."

"Yeah; I figured. I'll call a cab – where is my phone?" Andie asked him.

"Andie; stop this!" He grabbed her by her forearms and held her in front of him. "Look; you can't do this! I won't let what's happening to me happen to you!"

"What the hell am I supposed to do, Dean?!" Andie yelled back. "You have six weeks left! And this is the first thing that is a sure fire way to save you!"

"I don't want you to do it; doesn't that mean anything?"

"NO!" Andie yelled. "_I_ didn't want you to make the deal _you_ made!"

"I didn't know you when I made that!" He protested.

"Technicality!" She snapped.

"Andrea!" He yelled. But then his face softened."Please. Don't do this."

Andie sighed. He'd never used her full name before. "I just want you out of this, Dean." She mumbled.

"I know." He stroked the back of her hair. "And it is totally awesome you wanna do this for me; believe me. No girl I've met's been willin' to sell her soul."

Andie smiled weakly. "I don't want you to die." She shrugged.

Dean rubbed her shoulders with his hand. "I won't. We'll figure out a way, alright?"

"Alright." Andie hugged him; swiftly pulling her hand in and out of his jacket pocket. "You want pizza?"

"Always." Dean told her.

"I'll call; you seen my phone?" she asked, glancing around the room.

"I think it's in the kitchen." He said. He flopped in front of the couch and clicked on the TV; set up for a busy night of stuffing himself and falling asleep.

Sam came out of the bathroom where he'd been hiding out while Dean and Andie fought. "You done?"

"Yeah; she's not going." Dean told him. "Told you I'd change her mind."

Sam noticed Andie was missing. "Where is she?"

"Calling for pizza." Dean told him. Sam closed his eyes, not believing his brother's idiocy, and hung his head. Dean watched his brother's reaction and then immediately felt like a fool. He jumped off the couch. "ANDIE!" he roared. He ran into the kitchen; she was nowhere to be seen and the window was wide open.

"Whoa." Sam muttered as he followed his brother. "She totally Cunninghamed your ass."

"What?"

"Happy Days." Sam explained. "Richie Cunningham'd sneak out through windows…"

"God; you're sad." Dean muttered. "Ok; she's on foot so she can't have gone far." A very familiar roar of an engine rumbled outside followed by a loud screech of tires. Dean checked his pocket. "No!" he yelled as he ran out the front of the motel. "Andie!" He screamed as the Impala disappeared into the distance. Sam jogged beside his brother. "She stole my damn car!" Dean snapped at him.

"She totally got you, dude." Sam told him.

"Shut up." Dean grumbled.

**xxx**

Andie arrived at the three-way dirt street just as the sun disappeared on the horizon. It was one of four or five in within a few hours' drive of the motel but she'd tried to pick one that Sam and Dean wouldn't think she'd pick. At first she'd thought she'd go to the closest one; figuring that they'd assume she'd take the one further away. But since she had the Impala; the longer away she was the better so she went with her gut and wound up in the middle of nowhere with in the centre of three roads. She dug a shallow hole with her hands and buried the small tin containing everything she hoped she needed to resurrect the demon. She'd never met it before; but Sam and Dean had told her it appeared as a different, but stunning, brunette woman every time. Brushing off her jeans, Andie got to her feet and waited. A night chill breezed past her making her shiver in her jacket.

"I gotta give you credit." A deep, sultry male voice said behind Andie.

Turning, Andie didn't see an attractive woman, but a very handsome young man wearing a black suit with black collared shirt and tie.

"Demons get killed and yet you still won't let us rest in peace." He clucked his tongue. "You love us that much?"

"Huh...not exactly what I was expecting." Andie told him as she folded her arms.

"Cos I'm not a hot chick; you mean?" The demon inquired.

"That was a red flag." Andie nodded.

"Well; nature of the beast sweetheart." He held out his hands and grinned. "I chose a façade that I felt would be most pleasing to your pretty eyes."

"I wanna make a deal." Andie said; cutting right to the chase.

"Ahh, yes." The demon rocked back on his heels. "And this would be because of Dean; heroic son of a bitch who sold me his soul to save his little brother. Methinks that deal comes to an end in, I dunno...exactly forty-four days?" he smirked.

"Cut the crap; I've heard it." Andie spat at him. "You toss me a few one-liners about how I can't save Dean; how he's doomed. How I'm supposed to just accept it; move on? I don't wanna hear it."

The demon nodded patronizingly. "Strong girl." He leered. "Stoic. By the way; I noticed the Impala." He jabbed his thumb behind him at Dean's car. "I doubt Dean tossed you the keys. Perhaps you swiped them after a roll in the hay? He doesn't know you're here does he?""

"That doesn't matter." Andie replied. "Get Dean outta his deal and you can take my soul."

"Alright; the heroine is just darling." The demon applauded her. "But you didn't really do your research on me; did you? See I bring people _back_ from the dead. Meaning your beloved Dean has gotta come to the end of his cynical rope before I can do anything."

"Does that mean you'll do it?" Andie asked.

The demon laughed. "Sweetie, I couldn't if I wanted to. Yes; I make the deal but I don't keep them. I don't have Dean's contract. But even if I did; your soul is useless."

"Why?" Andie asked; annoyed with herself that tears were forming in her eyes.

The demon paused before he started walking towards Andie. "Did it ever occur to you that we don't want your soul?"

Andie furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? You don't care. A soul is a soul; since when are you picky?"

"Darling; believe me, if I could I'd be sealing this deal with a kiss as we speak." The demon licked his bottom lip. "But your soul downstairs...big no-no."

"Why?!" Andie yelled; her fists balling and arms tensing even though they were folded across her chest.

"Hate to sound like a broken record; but look at the big picture here, Andie." The demon simpered. "You get shot by the colt; yet you stand before me hotter than ever."

"What's your point?" Andie sneered.

"My point is that _you_ are meant to stay on this side of the coin, Andie." He gestured to the land around them. "Whereas Dean belongs down there." He pointed two thumbs down at the ground.

"No; he doesn't." Andie told him firmly. "He's a good man. He did what he did to save his brother; he's a her-"

"Oh; sweetie, if you say 'hero' I may vomit!" The demon yelled exasperatedly. "He's not a hero! He's an arrogant moron who only saved Sam because he was too selfish to let him go. If he had just let it go; you and I wouldn't be having this conversation." He shook his head. "Tell me; what was your plan if I could actually do this? Wait out the ten years; hope that your little fling with Dean lasts long enough to save you before he gets bored and moved on to the next whore?"

Andie surged with anger and the demon flipped back off his feet; crashing to the ground heavily. Her heart jumped into her throat; she had never, in her whole life, used her telekinesis without moving her hand to control it. But she couldn't dwell on it at that second. The demon got to his feet and wiped the back off his hand over his bloodied lip.

"So, you don't like whore?" he smiled evilly. "Sweetness; what makes you think you're any different to all the others?"

"Can you save him or not?" Andie continued, blinking back tears of uncertainty.

"No." The demon said simply. "Dean is going to die. And you can't stop it. My advice? Move on." He shrugged. "You woulda had to eventually. It's not like you two could live happily ever after. See, what you have with Dean? This "relationship"? It's a mirage. It's all an illusion. When you're together you drift into a fake world of sunshine and rainbows; we're you're love conquers all." He made a weak fist with his hand and held it to the air. "I know you love _him._ But answer me this...does he loves you?"

Hatred boiled in Andie's throat but she didn't get a chance to release it. The Crossroads Demon was shot four times in the head and slumped to the ground before releasing itself from its human body and disappearing. Andie, with tear-filled eyes, turned to her left and saw Dean lowering his shotgun. He was close enough that Andie knew he must have heard what the demon said; she wondered how long he'd been standing there. She turned away from him, brushing tears from her eyes before Dean could see. When she turned back he was walking towards her.

"You good, Morgan?" He asked her.

Andie nodded. "You killed my lead."

"Hate to say I told you so…" Dean began. "Who am I kidding; I love it. He can't help me, Andie."

"How did you find me?" Andie asked him. "Where's Sam?"

"Five crossroads in town. Sammy and I each rented a car and split up." Dean explained. He paused; watching her carefully before continuing. "Why did you come here after I asked you not to?"

"You don't own me, Dean." She muttered as she headed back to the Impala.

"That's not why I didn't want you to come!" Dean snapped as he followed her.

"I _know_ why you didn't want me to come." She sneered over her shoulder.

"Oh yeah?" Dean questioned. "Why?"

"Because it's a waste!" She screamed as she turned to face him. "It's a friggin waste, right? You don't want me to do this because...because you...you don't…you don't…" She hated to say what she was about to say; but it was a worry she'd had for some time. Since day three hundred, to be exact.

"What?" Dean pressed.

"You don't care about me like I care about you." She mumbled; tears welling in her eyes. "You wouldn't go to the length I am to save me." She gave him a wobbly smile. "And y'know what?" She shrugged. "I don't care. I don't care if a week after I save you; you dump me...as long as I save you."

"Andie…" Dean shook his head and looked at the ground. "Since when do you listen to demons?"

"I don't." She mumbled.

"That guy tells you I'm gonna leave you and you're totally on board?!" he snapped. "What's the matter with you?"

"Demon or not; he's right." Andie admitted. "What are we doing? I mean, we're just having sex, playing house and fighting like none of this craziness is going on around us."

"Look where we are." Dean gestured to the crossroads. "I just got rid of a demon you were trying to sell your soul to to get me outta a deal I made to bring my brother back from the dead. I'd say we're pretty much smack-bang in the middle of the craziness."

"But what if we weren't?" Andie asked him. "What if we _had_ no craziness? What if-"

"No! Stop the what-if's, Andie, the fact is we are _always_ gonna have the craziness; it's a fact. Hell; look at your life; full of craziness. Same with mine. We attract it; we thrive on it." He shrugged. "That's just how we are." When she didn't answer he took a step towards her. "And what the hell gave you the idea that I wouldn't do what you're doing if you were in my position?"

"Look; can you just man-up and say what you're trying to say so I can go home?" She tried to keep her tears steady and stand firmly with her hands on her hips.

"Fine. I love you." Dean said in the same breath with an easy grin on his face. "Morgan; you annoy me more than _anyone_...but I wanna spend every god-forsaken exasperating moment with you."

Andie's heart was torn between elation and heartbreak. "Then why don't you want me to save you?" She asked as she bit her lip; her tears dangerously close to bubbling over.

"Because..." Dean began slowly. "Andie; I'm scared." He admitted. "I don't wanna die. I don't wanna leave you." He had to swallow hard to keep the tears away from his eyes. "But more than anything...I don't want you to go through this. Please promise me that you won't sacrifice yourself for me." Dean saw her open her mouth to protest. "No; I don't wanna fight over this. Not this; Andie. Look; you can hate me - you can even beat me up later if it'll make you happy - but please don't give up your life for me." His voice cracked as he spoke.

Andie looked to the dirt road beneath her; tears sliding off her cheeks and making miniscule splashes as they hit the ground. She took a deep breath, looked up at Dean and nodded. "I promise."

He finally came all the way over to her and wrapped his arms securely around her back. They held each other for a few moments before Dean broke the ice. "What did you do to me?" he asked in his normal voice. "I got into this for some hot sex with a foreigner and now I'm in love? You're like a female Harry Potter."

Andie smiled as they started walking back to the cars. "Why wouldn't you just go with Hermione?" she inquired.

"Cos unlike _some _people I'm not a nerd and I don't know all the people." Dean retorted.

"I hate you." Andie mumbled with a smirk.

"No; you love me." Dean corrected her.

"I know." Andie agreed as they walked off together.

They didn't hold hands, they didn't link arms; they just walked. That was the kind of love they had; Andie understood it now. It wasn't physical. Not anymore. It was deeper than that. Andie didn't love him for what he looked like (not that it wasn't a bonus that he was a heartthrob) but for who he was; every messed up vein in his body was hers. And it always would be; whether he was gone in forty-four days or forty-four years. He was hers. And she was his.

**xxx**


	45. Chapter 45: Ring Ring

**CHAPTER FOURTY-FIVE**

**Day 333**

'Ring Ring'

A little over a week after Andie's plan to sell her own soul didn't work out; she, Sam and Dean wound up at a university where Sam wanted to speak to a Professor who specialized in the occult. Not one for buildings of learning, Dean bought a hot dog and waited for his brother and Andie to come back out. It didn't take long; Andie sensed Professor Gilbert's interest in the occult was must more theoretical than practical. He gave them the names of some texts to look at; books Sam had already read and found useless, before claiming he had a class and ushering them out of his office.

"So much for '_Professors know everything'_." Andie muttered to Sam as they headed back to Dean.

"Hey; it was a lead." Sam countered. "Although you'd think someone whose spent thirty years dedicating their life to learning about the supernatural wouldn't get so freaked out when you said the word 'demon'."

"Yeah; well, maybe learning and believing are two different things." Andie spoke up. "I mean, John Lennon said 'I believe in everything until its disproved'. That's the way we think. Maybe the Professor believes in what he learns; what _can_ be proved."

Sam considered this as the two of them walked past a desk of students handing out flyers for Spring Break locations. A young girl gave one to Sam who took it just to be nice.

"Did you go on Spring Break?" Andie asked as she peered at the flyer for a resort in Cancun.

Sam shook his head. "Never finished." He muttered; thinking momentarily of his girlfriend Jess. Her death had spurred him on to get back into hunting with Dean. He'd met her at college; lived with her. Being at this university reminded her of how simple his life used to be.

"So?" Andie shrugged. "Who says you need to be a college student? Even _I_ went on Spring Break."

"_You_ went on Spring Break?" Sam queried.

"Hell yeah; Spring break '02! Woo!" Andie whooped to herself. "My first year in the states; wound up in Daytona Beach." she told him. "It was awesome. Hey; you know who knows how to party? Drunk college guys."

Sam chuckled and shook his head as they approached Dean who was finishing a hot dog on a bench in the courtyard. He was also on the phone. He hung up and came over to Sam and Andie when he saw them.

"So?" He asked as he chucked them each a soda.

"So the Professor doesn't know crap." Sam muttered.

"Shocking." Dean deadpanned. "Pack your panties, guys; we're hittin' the road." He said as he walked between them towards the Impala.

"What? Why?" Andie asked.

"That was Bobby." He said pointing at his phone in his pocket. "Some banker guy blew his head off in Ohio; he thinks there's a spirit involved."

"You guys were talkin' about a case?" Sam inquired.

"No; no. We were actually talking about our feelings." Dean told him. "And then our favourite boy bands – yes a case!"

"So; a spirit? What?" Sammy asked; ignoring his brother's sarcasm.

"Yeah; banker was complaining about some electrical problems at his pad for, like, a week. Phones goin' haywire, computer flicking on and off…huh?" He gestured to his brother. "Ringin' a bell?"

"Well…yeah." Sam said. "But Dean; we're _on_ a case."

Dean looked puzzled. "Whose?"

"Yours; ya dingbat." Andie snapped at him.

He gave her a strange look. "Dingbat?"

"I'm trying to cut back on my swearing." Andie explained. "Yesterday I said the F word in front of a bunch of kids and a nun." She rolled her eyes. "Anyway; we're working on _your _case."

Dean grinned wryly and shook his head. "Yeah; coulda fooled me."

"Well, what the hell have we been doing lately other than trying to figure out how to break your deal?" Sam said with an anxious laugh.

"Chasing our tails; that's what." Dean answered in a low voice. "We've talked to every professor, witch, soothsayer and two-bit carny act in lower forty-eight. Nobody knows squat!" He paused. "And we can't find Bela; we can't find the colt…so until we actually find something? I'd like to do my job."

"Well; there's one thing we haven't tried yet." Sam reminded him.

"No." Dean said immediately; walking away from his brother.

"Dean; we could summon Ruby." Sam continued.

"I'm not gonna have this fight with you." Dean told him firmly.

"Gotta say, I'm kinda with Dean on this, Sam." Andie spoke up.

"She saved your life." Sam harked back at her.

"Well, not really." Andie countered. "She just told _you _guys _how_ to save me. And need I remind _you_ that she also stole you away."

"But the let me come back and, Dean, she told me she knows how to save you!" He snapped at the both of them.

"No; she can't!" Dean growled at him.

"Oh really?" Sam inquired with raised eyebrows. "You know that for sure?"

"I do." Dean said.

"How?" Sam pressed.

"Because she told me; ok?" Dean admitted. "She told me flat out that she can't save me; no one can."

Sam looked stung. "And you just neglected to mention this?" he looked over at Andie; expecting to see her equal shock but instead caught her averting his gaze. "Andie?"

"What; I didn't do anything." She muttered quickly.

"Did you know this?" Sam asked her wide-eyed. "Did he tell you?"

"Ok; look; not in so many words, alright?" She said defensively. "I-I kinda just assumed she couldn't help and-and told Dean and he…well; he agreed and then told me what she'd said." She paused. "So yeah; I kinda knew."

"You _both_ knew and didn't tell me?!" Sam shouted.

"Y'know; I really don't care what that bitch thinks and neither should you." Dean told him as he walked away.

"So, what, now you're keeping secrets from me?" Sam called after his brother; not following him.

"You really wanna talk about whose keeping secrets from who?" Dean snarled back at him.

"Ohh…kay. Boys; any chance you wanna take this off campus?" Andie spoke up as she stood between the brothers; furtively glancing at the people wandering around them. Sam and Dean continued to glare at each other before Sam broke the silence and pushed past his brother.

"Now where are you going?" Dean called after him.

Turning back, Sam held out his arms to his sides. "Guess I'm going to Ohio!" he snapped as he kept walking.

Andie walked over to Dean who sighed and hung his head. She squeezed his hand. "Hey; he just wants to save you. We both do."

"I know that." Dean snapped harsher than he intended to.

"Fine." Andie replied coldly; dropping his hand. "Be that way." She stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets and followed Sam.

**xxx**

Three hours and three cheap suits later, Dean pulled the Impala up to the banker, Ben Waters, house in Milan, Ohio. It was a gorgeous mansion with heavy, steel front gates and a well manicured front yard. Dean, Sam and Andie all went under guises of FBI agents who were looking into Ben's murder. His wife, Gina, was obviously still distraught but she let them into the house anyway and showed them into a study.

"I found him there." Gina said sadly, pointing to the carpet by a heavy, mahogany desk.

"Why don't you tell us everything that happened, Mrs. Waters?" Dean told her as he, Sam and Andie stood side by side in front of her.

"You mean besides my dead husband?" Gina asked bitterly.

"Just everything else you saw." Sam told her. "Please." He added; avoiding the eyes of his brother.

"There was, um, blood...everywhere." Gina recalled; glancing back at the desk. "The phone was ripped from the wall, his favourite scotch on the desk. What else could you possibly wanna know?" She folded her arms.

"Why was the phone ripped from the wall?" Sam asked curiously.

"I don't know." Gina shrugged.

"You mind if I take a look?" Andie asked. Gina gestured her hand at the desk and stood out of the way. "Thank you."

"I already went over this with the other detectives." Gina said to Dean as Sam followed Andie to the desk.

"We'll be outta your hair in no time, ma'am." Dean assured her with a grin.

Andie picked up the phone and scanned through the recent calls. She came across one that read SHA33. "Ma'am, what time did your husband die?"

"Sometime after eleven." Gina told them in a low voice.

Andie pointed to the time on the phone to Sam, 11:04. "Ma'am; have you been getting any strange phone calls?" Andie asked Gina.

"No." Gina said in a tight voice.

Dean gave her a knowing look. "Mrs. Waters; withholding information from the police is a capital offense." Sam, well-versed in law, cleared his throat loudly. "In some parts of the world; I'm sure." Dean added.

Gina sighed. "A couple of weeks ago…there was this…" she couldn't seem to finish her sentence.

"This what?" Dean pressed.

"I woke up one morning; I heard Ben in his study." Gina explained. "I thought he was talking to a woman."

"What made you think that?" Sam asked.

"Because he kept calling her 'Linda'!" Gina snapped. Then she paused; composing herself, and continued. "The thing is...when I picked up the other line…nobody was there. Ben was talking to nobody." She began to get upset.

"There was nothing?" Sam asked.

"Just static." Gina shrugged.

"Did you ever speak to Ben about it?" Andie asked as she came back over and stood by Dean.

"No." Gina said; obviously mad with herself. "I should've but no."

"Did he ever say who Linda was?" Sam asked.

"What difference does it make; there was no one on the other end!" Gina shouted with tears in her eyes. "Now if you've quite finished I'd like you out of my house." She turned on her heel, went to the door and held it open for them.

Andie, Sam and Dean filed out of the house and went back to the Impala. Dean drove them back to their motel where they all got out of their suits. Andie's made her feel like she was going on a court appearance so she was glad to be rid of it. Sam set up his laptop and let Dean have a turn searching for the mysterious Linda. He got lucky and found a few newspaper articles on her. Problem was; she was dead. She and Ben had been high-school sweethearts but were in a car accident; only Ben walked away. But the thing was; she had been cremated. So her ghost shouldn't still have been floating around. Sam discovered that the weird caller ID was actually an old phone number; really old. Probably over a century; back in the days when phones had cranks.

"Why use such an old number?" Andie asked with her arms folded.

"You got me." Sam shrugged.

"How do we even trace it?" Dean brought up.

"I think I know how." Sam told them. "But we'll need the suits again."

Andie groaned.

**xxx**


	46. Chapter 46: Trashy

**CHAPTER FORTY-SIX**

**Day 338**

'Trashy'

Under the guise of upper-level managers from Headquarters, Andie, Dean and Sam travelled to the control center of the phone company. All wearing newly bought, cheap, power-suits; they managed to lie their way inside and were soon taken downstairs to the phone tracing lab where a young Indian man named Stewie was sitting at a computer. He was surrounded by junk food wrappers and a few buzzing flies. The Chief made a crack about the hygiene problem before he snapped Stewie out of his daze. Stewie was looking at some explicit web pages which he closed as quickly as he could when he realized he was no longer alone, muttering something about '_spam'_.

"Stewie; what did I tell you about keeping this place clean?" The Chief scolded the nervous man. He gestured to Dean, Andie and Sam. "Stewie Miles. Mr. Campbell, Mr. Raimee and Ms. Holmes." When Stewie didn't turn around, the Chief flicked him in the back of the head. "From Headquarters." He added urgently. Stewie swiveled in his chair and crossed his leg over his lap; trying, unsuccessfully, to look professional. "You give them whatever they need." He nodded at Dean before leaving them alone.

"So…what can I help you with?" Stewie asked.

Dean glanced to make sure he was gone and nodded his head at the computer. "Was that, ah, Busty Asian Beauties dot com?" Stewie gave him an awkward smirk. "Word to the wise? Platinum Membership? Worth every penny."

"Forgive my partner." Andie spoke up. "He's just an idiot."

"Anyway; we're here to chase a number." Sam said as he retrieved the number from his pocket; adding that he'd got it off caller ID.

Stewie seemed to think this was impossible; that numbers of this nature hadn't been used in over a hundred years.

"Sure." Sam smirked. "But could you run it anyway?"

"Sure." Stewie mimicked sarcastically. "Why don't I just rearrange my whole life first?"

"Ok." Andie put her hands on her hips and began to play her favourite role; Boss-With-Attitude. "Stewie; you got about a hundred employee code violations down here; not to mention the sickening porn clogging up your hard drive." She was happy to see Stewie shuffled uneasily on the spot. "So when my boy here asks you to run the number; you _run_...the number." Stewie made a grumbling noise under his breath but took the number and started tapping away at his computer. Andie turned to Dean and they shared a smug smile.

"Holy crap." Stewie muttered a few moments later.

"What?" Sam asked.

"I can't tell you were the number comes from." Stewie said as he hit print on his keyboard. "But I can tell you where it's been going." He retrieved the print-out and handed it to Sam. "Ten different houses in the past two weeks all got calls from that number."

Sam handed the paper to Andie. She sighed heavily; her chest heaving and becoming that more noticeable to Dean. He also saw it was noticeable to Stewie who was staring at her chest with his mouth open. Dean stood in front of his view. "Let's keep the staring to the online ladies; shall we?" Stewie made his weird grumbling noise again and went back to his chair.

"So are we done here?" Stewie asked. "Cause I was sort of…busy."

Both Sam and Dean gave knowing nods. "Right." Dean winked at him.

"Ugh." Andie spat as she quickly got out of the room.

The three of them headed back to the car; deciding to split up and check out the addresses Stewie had given them. As Andie was climbing back into the car she noticed someone in the distance. The second she focused on him; he hurried out of sight behind a building. Dean asked her if she was alright; following her gaze to see what she was looking at. Andie brushed her overzealous, paranoid attitude aside and told him it was nothing and sat in the back of the Impala.

After that; the three of them did split up. Sam went to a suburban house just out of town while Dean hit the three apartments listed on the printout. Andie travelled via a compact rental car just on the skirts of town to a small; quaint home that was owned by an elderly couple. She knocked and knocked at the door but no one answered. As she was heading back to her car, Andie saw the man again. This time he hid, unconvincingly, behind a tree. Sighing, Andie followed him. She held her hand to the back of her jeans where she was keeping the handgun Dean had given her; citing that using her power in broad daylight wouldn't bode well for them in small town. The man saw her coming and took to turning his head away; an out of sight out of mind policy. Keeping hand on her gun, Andie called to him. "Enough with the hiding; you're not that good at it, y'know. I spotted you before."

"Forgive me; I'm new at this." The man muttered as he came out into the street with his hands in the air.

"New at what?" Andie inquired; noticing the man's pale blue eyes looked familiar. But his salt and pepper beard and aged face didn't ring any bells.

"Hunting." The man shrugged. "Tracking."

Andie was puzzled. He wasn't at all threatening; hunters tended to have an air of intimidation about them. "No offense, buddy, but aren't you a little old to start in this business?"

"Yes." The man admitted. "But Andie the only reason I did is because of you."

_He knows my name,_ Andie said to herself. _Giant red flag._"How do you know my name?" She questioned him. "Who are you?"

"My name is Dale Waters." He said; lowering his hands. "I'm your father, Andie."

Andie paused a few moments and then laughed out loud, snorting once or twice. "I'm telling ya; Dale, you should do stand up." She managed to say when she'd recovered.

"You don't believe me?" Dale surmised.

"Of course I don't. And let's run through the reasons why; shall we?" Andie said; taking her hand off her gun."Number one, my father died when I was three, number two; his name was Dylan, not Dale, and number three; he was a blue blood Australian and _you_ are a bone fide yank."

"Alright; so I'm not your father." Dale conceded. "But I'm not a demon."

Andie swiftly grabbed a small vial from her pocket and doused Dale with it. He looked confused and slightly shocked but he didn't writhe in agony and go up in smoke either. "Yeah; well, the holy water agrees with you there. So who are you?"

"My name really is Dale." He sputtered as he wiped his face with a hanky form his pocket. "I was a friend of your grandmother, Ellie."

"Ahhh; so now are you gonna tell me you're my grandfather?" Andie asked sarcastically as she folded her arms over her chest.

"No." Dale shook his head. "I met your grandmother after your mother was born. After your grandfather died." He sighed. "I did love her very much; but she didn't...she told me she couldn't be with anyone…not after she lost her husband."

"Why are you telling me this?"Andie was confused. She knew her grandmother hadn't married or even been involved with another man after her grandfather died. Andie's mother had only been about six when it happened and didn't remember much. Andie herself had only been four when her grandmother died so the only stories she knew were the ones her mother wrote in her journal – the journal Bela still had in her slutty grasp.

"You don't know who you really are, do you Andie?" Dale said shaking his head. "It's not your fault…after your father died; your mother…she was inconsolable...I used to visit with you all the time when you were a baby...but after she died and they sent you away…I tried to find you but by the time I tracked down the orphanage they said you'd taken off. I've been looking for you ever since."

"What do you mean I don't know who I really am?" Andie questioned him, snapshots of her past flashing into her mind. She'd often had memories of an older man reading to her, but she just assumed she was thinking of her father or grandfather; piecing together their appearance from photos she's seen. Although the fact that she, for some reason, felt comfortable around Dale made her believe he was telling the truth.

"Haven't you ever wondered why you're such a good hunter?" Dale asked her. "How is it that at thirteen years old you could fight of vampires and demons by yourself? With no training or support; you seemed to just win every battle. It's not luck. It's not coincidence. It's not because you're skills are paramount over everyone else. It's because of your blood, Andie. It's in your mind."

"What are you talking about?" Andie asked; stepping towards him to keep their conversation out of the way of prying ears. "Do you mean my power?"

"Yes; that's part of it." Dale nodded. "You know that you're power stems from your brain. The women in your family; that part of their brain is more…shall we see 'psychically in tune'. Even more so as each generation grows. Listen; you've heard of powerful family magic, haven't you? A heritage passed down from generation to generation."

Andie nodded slowly. "Yeah..."

"And you know that Ellie was the first person in your whole bloodline to produce telekinesis?" Dale continued. Andie nodded. "She passed it on to your mother; who had a stronger sense of it…and your mother passed it on to you; you're the strongest yet."

Andie paused; digesting this information. She couldn't help but be wary of it. "So, what; you're trying to tell me I've got a Harry Potter thing going on?"

"Not exactly. You are not the end of the line, Andie." Dale told her with a wise smile. "You have a destiny greater and more important than anything you've experienced. You will have a daughter and she will grow up to become the most powerful force of good the earth has ever seen."

"Wow...over dramatic much?" Andie scoffed. "That's a nice story, Gramps, but I didn't come here for a history lesson. I've got things to do." She turned and started to leave.

"You don't believe me." He called after her.

"No; matter of fact I don't." Andie didn't turn around. "See ya, Dale."

"Then tell me why the colt didn't kill you?" He asked; an arrogant tone in his voice.

Andie stopped in her tracks. She felt a pinch in her abdomen where her wound, now healed, had once been so poignant. "What did you say?" She turned back to Dale.

Dean approached her; arrogance gone and concern in its place. "Nothing that happens to you is by chance, Andie." He said firmly. "Bela was _told_ to shoot you. And not only that; she was told to shoot you in the abdomen; to hinder the chances of you conceiving." He paused, biting his dry bottom lip. "You can't die, Andie. Not until you have your daughter."

"Wait; so now I'm immortal?" Andie scoffed.

"No; not immortal. But the need for your daughter to be born stems from an ancient magic; unbreakable by any demon." Dale spoke softly yet seriously. "That's why you can fight so carelessly; because you won't die. Until you have your daughter you'll be protected."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Andie snapped suddenly. "I came to you because I thought you might be able to help with Dean's contract...wait...Dean isn't the father of this daughter I'm s'posed to have is he?"

"I don't know." Dale shook his head. "I don't know when you're meant to have her or who with. I just know that your life can't end until your daughter's begins."

"I'll ask again, why are you telling me all of this?" Andie's heart was beating faster than moments before; blood was pumping throughout her body. She was suddenly very uneasy.

"Because I know how much you want to save Dean. And I know how far you're willing to go. I know you tried to sell your soul for him and they wouldn't take it; _this_ is why. Because they _can't_ take it." He gestured his fingers towards the ground; indicating Hell below them. "A demon can't break what's in your blood, Andie. They try and fail. That's why they sent Bela after you with the colt; a gun that's mean to kill everything. My point is, Andie, even if there is a way to save Dean…you can't give up your own life. Your destiny won't let you."

"So _this_ is why you're here?" Andie felt angry tears in her eyes. Tears she'd grown used to appearing every time someone told her she couldn't save Dean. "To tell me I'm eventually going to have a super-duper baby girl and until then I can't die."

"Like I said; I've been searching for you for so long...had you're mother been more stable you would have grown up knowing this." Dale said in a sad voice.

"Do you know a way I can save Dean or not?" Andie asked him; ignoring all of his other information.

Dale sighed. "You don't understand. Your future is bigger than Dean." He told her.

Andie swallowed hard and turned on her heel. "Stop following me." She spat over her shoulder.

"I won't be far, Andie." Dale called after her.

**xxx**

Andie didn't know what to do with this new information. She wished she had someone she could call to confirm it; but she didn't. Everyone who would know was dead. Other than Dale, that is. The more she thought about him; the more she remembered him. Certain things crept into mind, a day at the circus, playing in a sandbox...memories she'd filed away.

Parking her compact behind Sam's rental, Andie went back into the motel room. Sam was loosening the tie of his suit. He'd just arrived back himself and caught Andie up to speed with what he'd found out. He'd met a family consisting of a father and two children. The father claimed they hadn't had any issues with their phone line so Sam had left. But before he could drive away, the daughter; a teenage girl named Lanie, came out and admitted to Sam she'd been contact by her deceased mother who had been dead for three years. Lanie claimed it had started the week before.

"What did her mother say to her?" Andie asked.

Sam shrugged. "Didn't get a chance to ask; the father saw her and made her go inside." His cell phone started to ring. "Dean." He nodded at Andie. "Yeah?" He answered the phone.

Andie took some clothes into the bathroom and changed out of her suit; Dales word still running through her mind. She'd always known her power came from her blood and that it was stronger in her than in her predecessors...if she was honest with herself she supposed she knew her own children would possess the power to a greater extent. But the specifics of Dales explanation was so intricate and seemingly planned that Andie was actually worried. She didn't like thinking her future had been written; a thought she also associated with Dean's contract.

"Andie?" Sam called as he knocked on the bathroom door. "Dean's on his way back; had a bad experience with an eighty-year old woman who claimed she was having phone sex with her husband who died in Korea."

"Ew." That snapped Andie right out of her funk. She finished changing her clothes and exited the bathroom in her jeans and a loose white singlet over a tighter; black cami. "Alright. So dead people are calling and their relatives are answering. Maybe it's some kinda ghostly telemarketing scam." She chuckled at her lame joke but stopped when Sam gave her an odd look.

"Then why are people scared?" Sam crinkled his brow. "I mean...that girl I talked to, Lanie? She was terrified; thought she was crazy."

"Well; Sammy, if my mother started phoning home the "crazy" thought would cross my mind." Andie told him. They squabbled back and forth for twenty minutes or so when Dean arrived looking quite shaken. "What happened?" Andie asked him.

He held his cell phone out to his brother. "Dad called."

xxx


	47. Chapter 47: Phone Home

**CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN**

**Day 338**

'Phone Home'

"Dad called?" Sam repeated the question a few times. "You really think it was Dad?"

Dean, who'd changed out of his suit into jeans and an open collared shirt with a vintage tee underneath, was pacing in front of Sam and Andie who were sitting on each of their respective beds. "I dunno; maybe." He muttered with a worried look on his face.

"What did he sound like?" Sam asked curiously.

Dean turned to him. "Like Oprah." He snapped. "Sam; it was Dad! He sounded like Dad."

"What did he say?" Andie asked.

"My name." Dean answered. "Then the call dropped out."

"Why would he call in the first place?" Sam wondered aloud.

"I dunno; why are ghosts calling anyone in this town?" Dean asked. "But other people are hearing from their loved ones…why can't we? It's at least a possibility, right?" he turned to Sam expectantly.

"Well...yeah; I guess." Sam agreed half-heartedly.

"Ok...so what if…" he sat beside Andie on their bed and looked at Sam. "What if it really is Dad? What happens if he calls back? I mean...what do I say?"

Sam shrugged. "'Hello?'"

"'Hello?" Dean repeated. "That's what you come up with; 'hello'?" He shook his head, got to his feet and grabbed his jacket. "'Hello'?" he repeated again as he started out the door.

Sam scoffed to himself as his brother left. He looked to Andie who was staring after Dean. "What are you thinking?" he asked her. She didn't respond. "Andie?"

"What?" Andie turned her head to him.

"Are you alright? You don't look so good…" He noticed the paleness of her skin.

"Yeah; I'm fine." Andie told him with a smile. "Just worried." She got to her feet. "I'm gonna go with him; are you good here?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah; I'll do some research on the internet; see I can find anything about ghost phones."

Andie had already checked out of the conversation. She grabbed her jacket and hurried out the door. She came down the porch as Dean was driving the Impala out of the driveway. She stood in his way. "I'm coming with you." She told him through the windscreen. He didn't look thrilled to have a trailer but he didn't object so Andie climbed in the passenger's seat; still not accustomed to sitting beside the driver as opposed to behind him.

After trying unsuccessfully to start two or three conversations and only getting one word replies from Dean, Andie gave up and put one of his tapes on. She used the silence to deliberate telling Dean about Dale and her supposed 'future'. On one hand; telling Dean about it would ease her anxiety over the whole situation. But on the other hand; Dean was so focused on his father that he didn't really have room for something or someone else to worry about. Then again; she'd also just figured out the reason why the colt hadn't killed her; surely he'd want to know about that.

"Dean." She started.

"That's what I'm talking about." He mumbled over her. "Sometimes the answers in front of your face." He pointed out the window at what appeared to be a souvenir shop.

"What...you want a memento of our time here other then the fact ghosts are using phones?" Andie asked with raised eyebrows.

"Come on." He said as he parked the car and headed towards the building.

Watching him leave; Andie decided she'd keep her mouth shut about her destiny for now. Solve one thing at a time. She climbed out of the car and followed Dean.

**xxx**

About an hour later, Dean and Andie returned to the motel room to see Sam hunched over his laptop looking forlorn. He glanced up at them as they came in. "After almost two hours I have found no reason why anything supernatural should be going on here." He told them.

"Well; you'd think a Stamford education and a high school hook-up rate of point zero-zero would produce better results than that." Dean quipped.

"Hilarious." Sam deadpanned with a tired smile.

"You're looking in the wrong places, Sam." Andie spoke up, retrieving one of the pamphlets she'd picked up at the souvenir shop from her jeans pocket.

"Yeah; and where are the right places?" Sam asked as he looked back at his computer.

"Souvenir shop pamphlet rack." Dean nodded at the brochure in Andie's hand. "Milan, Ohio. Birth place of Thomas Edison."

Sam took the pamphlet from Andie and scanned it briefly. "Yeah...so?"

"Keep reading." Dean told him sternly.

Sam flicked through the brochure and found what they were talking about. "You're kidding me." He grinned.

**xxx**

On the way back from the souvenir shop, Dean and Andie had spotted a museum that showcased all of Thomas Edison's inventions. So after picking up Sam; the three of them headed back there just in time for the afternoon tour. A bubbly, brunette named Karen with large, glassy eyes lead the group of eight or so people through the house.

"We're walking; and we're walking." She chirped with a wide grin on her face as they came into another room. "And here we have one of the museums most unique and treasured possessions; Thomas Edison's 'Spirit Phone'." She used quotation fingers as she said Spirit Phone. "Did you know that Mr. Edison, while being one of America's most love inventors, was also a devout 'occultist'?" She used the fingers again. "Ooohhhh…" She laughed, wiggling her fingers like a ghost. "He spent years working on this; his final invention which he was convinced could be used to 'communicate with the dead'." She clasped her hands together. "Pretty spooky, huh?"

"What's with the quotey fingers?" Dean whispered into Andie's ear.

Andie shrugged. "Maybe she's working as a team with all the people in her head." She chuckled; causing her and Dean both to disguise their laughter with over-zealous coughs.

"Are we talking?" Karen asked them both with a cheesy grin.

"We are not." Dean told her.

"Absolutely not." Andie agreed.

"Wonderful." She checked her watch. "Ok; and we're walking! We are walking!" she gestured to the group and led them down the hall; not noticing Sam, Dean and Andie linger at the Spirit Phone. "We are walking. And we're not touching that."

Sam waited until Karen and the rest of the group were gone before getting out his ectoplasm detector and waving it around the Spirit Phone.

"Anything?" Dean asked.

Sam shook his head. "Nothing." He pocketed the device.

"What do you think?" Dean asked them both as he looked at the phone.

"Honestly?" Andie spoke up. "Looks like a pile of crap."

"Not even plugged in…" Dean realized.

"Maybe it didn't work like that." Sam suggested; glancing over his shoulder to make sure Karen and the others were still out of earshot.

"Ok...maybe it's like a radio tower." Dean offered. "Broadcasting to the dead all over town."

"Could be." Sam nodded.

"Well, the, ah, the called ID's around a hundred years old; right around the time this thing was made." Dean gestured at the phone.

"Yeah; but why would it just start working now?" Andie asked.

"I dunno…" Dean mumbled. "But as long as the mouldies are calling the freshers around here; it's the only idea we got."

"Yeah; maybe." Sam conceded.

"So maybe it really is Dad." Dean muttered; trying to conceal his hope he was right.

The three of them didn't stick around for the rest of Karen's tour. Instead; they went to a café nearby and had dinner. When they got back to their motel room, Sam and Andie showered and went to bed almost immediately. Dean stayed up; wanting to wait and see if his father called again. Andie hadn't wanted him to but there was no changing Dean's mind once it was set on something. So instead she just crawled under the blankets and let herself fall asleep.

Unfortunately; it wasn't a restful sleep. She dreamt of Dale at different times in her life; even though he wasn't there. It was as though her sub-conscious put him in the background of her memories. She had about five or six short dreams and in the final one; she, Dale, Sam, Bobby and Den were standing around a burning cross with scared faces. When a large fire ball erupted; seeming to come right at Andie's eyes – she woke up. Dean wasn't in bed; she knew that immediately because she was still cold. She could see the outline of Sam's sleeping body in the bed beside her and beside him, at the kitchen table leaning against his hand, was Dean drinking from a coffee mug.

"Dean?" Andie called softly as she climbed out of bed.

His head turned slightly; indicating he'd heard her. "Go back to sleep." He told her.

Andie shuffled into the kitchen; her feet stepping onto the freezing, linoleum tiles. "I will if you will." She told him as she glanced at the clock by the door. "It's three in the morning; you need to rest."

"What if he calls?" Dean asked; nodding down to his cell phone resting by his coffee cup.

"Yeah; what _if_ he calls, Dean?" Andie repeated in a loud whisper. "How much are you going to be able to do at three am on no sleep?"

Dean took another sip of coffee. "I don't wanna miss him."

Andie slid into the chair across from him; the back of her thighs not covered by her boxers jolting her awake when they hit the plastic seat. "Dean..." she pulled up one of her knees and hugged it to her chest. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Andie; if this is my dad and he _is_ trying to contact me and Sam there has to be a reason." Dean told her.

"I know." Andie nodded. "I know that but...Dean, more than half the people in this town who have been getting calls like these are freaked by them. And half of them have killed themselves...I don't want that to happen to you; you're _already_ on a clock."

"I'm not gonna do that, Morgan." He told her with a smirk. "But I gotta chase this down." He picked up his phone and held it up. "He wants to talk to me. If this was your mama; wouldn't you wanna talk to her?"

Andie cocked her head to the side. "Well...she kinda already tried that thanks to Ruby...and I almost _did_ kill myself."

"No, I mean…" Dean stopped himself. "Look…can you just go with me on this?"

Andie sighed. "Ok." She agreed. "Alright…I'll go make you so more coffee." She got to her feet and headed for the kitchen but Dean quickly tugged her back by her wrist. He pulled her down a little and kissed her lovingly with his hand to her cheek.

"Thank you." He told her; leaning his forehead into hers.

"Welcome." Andie kissed his temple and made her way to the kitchen. While she made him more coffee; his phone rang. Dean retreated to the bathroom; obviously not wanting to wake Sam and/or not wanting Andie to hear what he was saying to his father. She set his coffee on the table and waited. He emerged from the bathroom a few moments later with a scared look on his face. "Dean; what happened? What did he say?"

"He said the demon that holds my contract...he's here." Dean told her as he rummaged in his bag for a pen and paper. "And he gave me an exorcism that'll get rid of it." He started writing down what his father had said.

"What?" Andie yelped in the lowest voice she could muster. She hurried after Dean, glancing at Sam to make sure he was still out of it. "He? Here? Exorcism?

"Yeah." Dean said as he finished writing, walked into the bedroom and began removing his clothes. "Which means we gotta get ready to fight. We kill this guy and I'm home free." He grinned as he pulled off his shirt.

"Well...yay; obviously but isn't this a little…convenient?" Andie folded her arms over her middle; Dale's notions of her not being able to die yet were swirling in Andie's mind…_could__** I **__possibly be the way to save Dean? If the power in my blood prevents me from dying…couldn't I just walk up to the demon and chop its head off?_

"Andie; come on. This is gonna work. It's Dad; it has to." Dean told her quietly as he yanked a white shirt over his head. "This is the best plan we've had since all this began."

Andie was happy to see Dean looked genuinely relieved for once. "Ok...good." She replied.

Dean could see her apprehension. "Morgan…" He said softly as he took her head in both of his hands. "It's gonna work out."

"It better." Andie muttered with a wry smile. Then she leaned in and kissed him amorously. He kissed her back and ran a hand through her hair. She held her hands to his waist and quickly pulled off the shirt he'd just put on. He did the same to her before snaking an arm around her waist and leading her towards the bed.

**xxx**

The next morning; Sam woke up to his cell phone ringing. It was Lanie; the teenager he'd met the day before. Sam had given her his number in case she needed help. She sounded terrified as she urgently told Sam that her mother had come to her again and really freaked her out. Sam promised he'd be there as soon as he could and hung up. He yawned as he climbed out of bed and glanced over at his brother and Andie; the two were both shirtless yet covered by the blanket and spooning each other. Thinking he'd be a good brother and let them sleep him, Sam dressed, left them a note and head out to Lanie's place.

**xxx**

When Andie awoke, Dean was already up and on Sam's laptop. She inquired as to what he was doing and all he said was 'research'. He told her he'd made breakfast for her, which in Dean's head meant he'd reheated enough leftovers so she could have some. They'd taken their meal home in doggie bags the night before so Andie found herself once again chewing on a chicken wing as she watched Dean work. He had papers and books spread out all around him. Thinking she might be slightly in the way; Andie took a shower. As she came out toweling her hair dry; Sam arrived back.

"Hey." She greeted him. "How was Lanie?"

"Freaked but a little better than when I talked to her on the phone." Sam told her. He nodded at his brother. "How long's he been there?"

"He was there when I woke up. Listen, Sam, your Dad called him again last night." Andie told him, informing him of everything Dean had told her John had mentioned about the demon holding Dean's contract being in town. Armed with this new information, Sam went into his brother.

"What's up?" Dean greeted him.

"Dad called?" Sam answered.

"Yeah; said the demon holding my deal's in town." Dean answered.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sam asked; slightly hurt.

"It was, like, three am." Dean protested. "You were way gone. And you were also way gone when I woke up this morning _and_ you didn't answer your cell."

"Fair enough." Sam gave in. "Well; that girl Lanie's mom's ghost spooked her pretty good last night." He told Dean and Andie as she came into the room pulling her hair into a ponytail.

"That sucks." Andie mumbled to which Sam nodded.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked his brother.

"I think Dad was onto something." Dean said as he sifted through some papers in front of him. He handed a stack to Sam and got to his feet. "Check it out." He headed for his bag sitting on the kitchen table.

Andie looked at the papers in Sam's hands. "Weather reports?" She asked Dean.

"Omens." He corrected her. "Demonic omens. Electrical storms everywhere we've been for the past two weeks."

Sam and Andie looked at each other. "I don't remember any lightning storms." Sam admitted.

"Well; I don't remember you studying meteorology as a kid either." Dean snapped back defensively. "But I'm telling ya; that bastard's been tailing me. Wearing some poor dude's meat."

"And he's following you because…?" Sam prompted Dean.

Dean shrugged. "Maybe I'm big game…my ass is too sweet to let out of sight." He grinned smugly to himself.

"No, seriously." Andie cut in, grabbing the papers of Sam. "Why bother tailing you when you have over a month left? I mean, they know where you'll be. That's the whole point; you can't hide."

"You saying my ass ain't sweet?" Dean asked her with raised eyebrows.

"Of course not; you have a very sweet little heiny." Andie winked at him.

"Guys; please." Sam blanched and snatched the paper back from Andie. He looked over it slowly.

"Don't get too excited, Sammy." Dean snapped as he stormed up to him and yanked the paper back. "You might pull somethin'."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Dean; look I wanna believe this, man. I really do but-"

"Then believe it!" Dean cut in. "I mean if we get this sucker; it's Miller Time!"

"Yeah; that's another thing." Sam interrupted. "Dad rattles off an exorcism that can _kill_ a demon? I mean, not just send it back to hell; but kill it?"

"I checked it out." Dean assured him as he went and grabbed another sheet of paper. "This is heavy duty Dark Ages. Fifteenth Century."

"Yeah, I checked on it, too, Dean." Andie reminded him. She'd called Bobby soon after Dean told her about it and he'd gave her some information. "So did Bobby. And even though it definitely _is_ an exorcism, there's just no evidence that it can _kill_ a demon."

"No evidence it can't." Dean countered.

"Dean, come on." Sam said exasperatedly.

"As far as I know; the only one of us that's actually been to hell is Dad, ok?" Dean continued. "Think maybe he might've picked up a coupla tricks down there? Like which exorcisms work?"

"Look; maybe it does." Sam said. "And I hope it does, too, but we just gotta be sure."

"Why aren't we sure?" Dean asked loudly.

"Because we still don't know what's going on around here, Dean." Sam said. "I mean, some guy blows his brains out? A little girl is scared outta her wits?"

"Wow, man, a couple of civi's are freaked out by some ghosts!" Dean said sarcastically. "Newsflash; Sam! People are _supposed_ to be freaked out by ghosts!"

"Alright; must we yell?" Andie cut in. She didn't like to get between the boys when they bickered but right now it was stalling more important things like Lanie's safety and Dean's contract. She was happy to see both boys simmer down a little.

"Dad tell you where to _find_ the demon?" Sam asked.

"I'm waiting on the call!" Dean yelped; holding up his cell.

"I told Lanie I'd go back and see her." Sam said as he backed away towards the door.

"Oh, no, good, you go hang out with jailbait." Dean called after him sardonically. "Just watch out for Chris Hanson. Meanwhile I'll be here getting ready to just, you know, save my life." Sam turned back but didn't stop. "You are unbelievable, you know that?! I mean, for months we've been trying to break this demon deal. Now Dad's about to give us the freakin' address and you can't accept it?! The man is dead and you're still buttin' heads with the guy!"

Sam whirled back around. "That is _not_ what this is about."

"Then what is it?!" Dean yelled.

"The fact is we got _no _hard proof here Dean!" Sam snapped. "After everything…you're still just going on blind faith!"

"Yeah; well maybe! Maybe that's all I got, ok?!" Dean roared back.

"Just please don't go anywhere until I get back, ok?" Sam asked him as he headed for the door again. He nodded at Andie. "Don't let him outta here." With that; he left.

Dean looked to Andie. "So?"

"I'm not gonna hold you down, Dean." Andie shrugged. "If you wanna go after this thing, I can't stop you." Truth was; she had her own plans for the day. Since Dean had mentioned an exorcism; Andie had wanted to find out what she could on her own but she'd been with Dean all night and hadn't had the chance to get away. If sbe was as powerful as she was 'destined' to be, she wanted to see if she could track down Dale and find out if he knew anything. But she couldn't do this with Dean on her tail; so her plan was to let him do his thing and Sam do _his_ thing so she could do _her _thing. "Just whatever you do; be careful." She grabbed her jacket.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

"I can't eat chicken for breakfast." She lied. "I'll be back soon." She kissed her forefinger and middle finger and pressed them to Dean's forehead. "Just hang tight; ok?" She slid on her jacket, grabbed her compact's keys and headed out the door. All of a sudden; she was hit with the strangest feeling – she knew exactly where to find Dale.

**xxx**


	48. Chapter 48: Answer Me

**CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT**

**Day 339**

'Answer Me'

Andie found Dale trying to cook sausages on a communal barbeque at a local park. He was the only person around. Seeing as it was a cold, blustery day Andie surmised no one else was silly enough to try and have a picnic in this weather. "Dale!" She called to him as she walked towards him.

"Andie." He smiled at her. "I didn't think I'd see you again."

"Yeah, well, neither did I." Andie admitted. "What are you doin' out here?"

"Slept in my car; so this would be my kitchen." He smirked.

"You slept in your car?" She suddenly had memories of Dale being thrifty when she was younger; never wanting to shell out money for unnecessary items. She guessed these days that meant not having a genuine roof over his head.

"It's more comfortable than any bed I've slept on." He told her. "And I'd wager a whole lot cleaner than these motel mattresses." He poked at the sausages with a fork. "Knew you'd find me if you needed me." He told her. "Your Gran used that part of her power to find my keys all the time. Woman just knew where things were. Not _people_; though. That came with your mama...you know where to find people, too, I see."

"And places." Andie admitted. "Sometimes I just know where to be."

Dale smiled. "Another sign of your growth." He mumbled to himself; proud, it seemed.

"I have to ask you something." Andie said slowly. "How much of the supernatural do you know? I mean, you said you _just_ became a hunter but if you knew my grandmother…"

"My knowledge stems from the written word." He told her. "I was an occult professor in Montana; flew to Australia in my first year of teaching to do research. That's when I met your grandmother. Came to see her at least twice a year from then on until your father died. But I've only been a-- as you say, _hunter_ --for a year or so - when I came to my senses and realized I wasn't going to find you in some book."

Andie sighed. "So if there was a way to save Dean…"

"Yes, I'd know about it." Dale smiled at her sadly as he forked his sausages onto a paper plate. "And I'm sorry, Andie, but I haven't heard of anything to break a deal like this. I mean it's his soul. Powerful thing to lose; much more powerful to gain."

"Ok, look." Andie said. "That's not all I came here for. Something's going on in this town." She briefly explained to him about the ghostly phone calls and how Dean's father had come up with 'the answer' to saving him. "He said this exorcism can kill a demon."

Dale sighed. "Well, not that I know of. But ancient exorcisms can be modernized and made more powerful; happens all the time. But to actually _kill_ a demon…it's a stretch. I'd be more worried about the fact that your boyfriend is talking to his dead father. How certain is he that it's him?"

"Hundred percent." Andie told him; shoving her freezing hands into the pockets of her jeans. She hated the cold.

"Here," Dale poured her a mug of coffee from his thermos. "Warm you up."

"Thanks." Andie took the mug. She didn't drink it; but she let it warm her icy fingers.

"Well, just be wary. Ghosts usually don't use phones; they appear in mirrors, rattle chains. It's all very PC." Dale told her. "Keep an eye on him. It might not be what you all think it is."

"What else could it be?" Andie inquired.

Dale sighed. "You're probably too young to remember…same kinda thing happened to your ma after your pop died. Heard his voice through an old radio he kept in his shed."

Andie remembered that radio. It was broken but she'd kept it in her room when she was little. She'd had to leave it at the house after she was taken away by Child Services. "But it wasn't him." Andie guessed.

"No. It was a Crocada." Dale told her. "Your mother wrote about it in her journal." He sighed. "It was the beginning of the end for her; that Crocada's what sent her on her downward spiral to bring your Daddy back." Dale shook his head sadly.

Andie thought a moment; she could remember the name Crocada but not exactly what it was. "Crocada; it's like a glamour, isn't it? A mirage?"

"Kind of. More of a mimic. Lures you with the voice of lost loved ones, whispers 'Come to me'." Dale informed her. "Takes you into the dark and swallows your soul. Your ma was smart enough to figure it out before it got to her."

Suddenly very aware Dean was at the motel alone, Andie handed Dale his mug back. "Thanks." She told him as she retreated. "I better go."

"Come see me anytime." He told her. "You'll know where I'll be." He added with a wink.

**xxx**

Andie tried phoning Dean all the way back to the motel but couldn't get a hold of him. She also tried Sam, his line was busy. She parked her rental on the curb and rushed up to their motel room. "Dean!" She called as she burst through the door. "Dean!" She checked all the rooms; he wasn't there. His bag was gone; his gun was gone and, of course, the Impala was gone. She cursed herself for leaving him alone and tried calling Dean again. This time; she only got through to his voicemail.

"_This is Herman Munster, leave a message."_ Dean's recording played into Andie's ear.

"Dean; it's me. You left, you stupid ass!" She snapped at him. "And we'll deal with that later but please call me and let me know where the eff you are." She hung up the phone and tried Sam again but couldn't get through. She stood by her compact car and took a few deep breaths. Dale's words kept flashing through her mind. Namely 'powerful' 'growing' 'strongest'…

All of a sudden; Andie had to be in two places at once. Sam was at the phone company. Dean was at an abandoned house. They both needed her help. Knowing she was closer to Sam than Dean, Andie climbed into her car and quickly peeled out back onto the street towards the phone company.

By the time she arrived; the sun had set. She saw Sam's fancy, rental car parked off in a side street. She parked her car behind it and quickly hurried towards the building. It had shut up shop for the day but there were still a few cars in the parking lot. Behind one of these cars was Sam. The two of them noticed each other at the same time. He motioned for her to join him.

"It's a Crocada." They both said in the same breath when Andie arrived beside Sam. They exchanged a weird look. "How did you know that?" Sam asked.

"Researched it." Andie shrugged. "I can't get a hold of Dean."

"I talked to him before; told him about it. He reminded me Crocada's live in filth." He nodded his head the back door of the phone company building where Stewie was leaving for the night. "Sound familiar?"

"Oh, that perverted son of a bitch." Andie growled under her breath. "Wait; where was Dean?" she asked Sam.

"I thought he was at the motel with you…" Sam started.

Andie shook her head. "I went out...for food. He was gone when I came back."

"Gone?" Sam looked and saw Stewie was almost at his car.

Andie knew where Dean was; she had to go and help him. "Sam; I'll get Dean. You good here?"

"Yeah; go." Sam assured her. "Cos I'm starting to think that wasn't him I spoke to on the phone; which means he doesn't know about the Crocada."

"Which means he doesn't know that's not your father calling him." Andie realized as fear rose in her throat. She patted Sam on the back and then bolted back to her rental car; heading back in the same direction she'd arrived.

**xxx**

It was pitch black when Andie parked her car behind an old pickup truck in front of the house she knew Dean was in. She climbed slowly out of the compact and scanned the nearby side streets until she spotted the Impala stalled underneath a large oak tree. The house appeared to be abandoned and there were no signs of life inside. That was until a loud shotgun blast rang out loudly through the still, night air.

"Dean." Andie breathed uneasily as she bolted towards the house. As she neared the front door she could here obvious signs of a scuffle inside mixed with Dean's audible grunts. When she ran inside she was taken aback with the image of Dean kicking the living crap out of a man crumbling on the floor. "No!" she screamed at him. Dean didn't seem to notice she'd arrived until she grabbed him by the arm. "Dean; he's not who you think he is!"

"He's a demon!" Dean yelled at her; grabbed the man up off the floor and shoving him inside the Devil's Trap he'd drawn in red spray paint in the centre of the room. Then he whipped out a crumpled piece of paper from his hand; the exorcism. "Cruk sancta."

"Dean; he's not a demon!" Andie yelled.

"Siet me elux." Dean continued; ignoring Andi. "Nown draco-"

"You do this to my daughter, too?" The man asked angrily as he stepped out of the Devil's Trap.

Dean watched the man move freely and became uneasy. "How'd you get out?"

"Did you do this to my daughter?!" The man screamed at Dean with angry tears in his eyes.

"Wait; this is a mistake." Andie tried to say as she pulled Dean away from the advancing man.

"You killed her." The man snarled at Dean.

"No." Dean shook his head. "No; I-"

"You killed her!" The man ran at Dean and tackled him around his middle.

Andie was knocked off her feet. She clambered across the floor to reach Dean who was being pummeled from above by the crying man. "Stop!" She yelled.

"She was nine years old!" The man cried. "You killed her!"

Andie tried to pull the man off Dean but ended up with an elbow in the face. Staggering backwards slightly; Andie bit the bullet and used her power to throw the man off Dean. In the past year or so she had become less and less inclined to use it on innocent people. Especially ones obviously heartbroken over the death of a child like the man attacking Dean.

Dean managed to get to his feet; his side aching from repeated punches and blood running down his face. "Thanks." He mumbled at Andie as she helped him stand.

"Why did he kill her?" The broken man sobbed on the floor.

"I'm sorry." Dean panted at the man as he tried to catch his breath. "I didn't kill your daughter."

The man glared up at Dean. "Then what are you doing here?" he asked angrily.

Dean swallowed hard and felt confused tears in his eyes. "I don't know." He shook his head.

**xxx**

Since Andie and Dean each had to drive their respective cars back to the motel room, she had to wait almost a half hour to explain to him the details of what had happened. While stitching up Dean's cuts and scrapes in the bathroom; she told him about Dale. She told him everything she remembered of the man, everything he'd told her about the Crocada and all about his thoughts on Dean's deal.

"So you think he's legit?" Dean winced as Andie dabbed peroxide on a cut to his forehead.

Andie nodded. "The more I think about him; the more I remember him. I just think with everything that happened with my mother and then living on the streets, yadda, yadda." She shrugged. "I guess I forgot about him." Dean groaned loudly as she pressed against his wound. "Oh; stop being a wuss." She leaned in and checked out the cut above his lip. "Wow; he really did a number on you."

"Yeah." Dean muttered putting a towel full of ice in the back of his head.

"Ok; here." Andie tilted his jaw carefully so she could see his lip better in the light.

"Don't touch it." Dean grabbed her hand and kept it away from his face.

"I'm not gonna—oh, Dean stop bitching." Andie chuckled. "I'm trying to help you here."

"Well; it hurts." Dean countered.

"Yeah and I'm trying to fix that." She replied with a laugh. Dean smiled and leant in to kiss her. Andie pulled back. "No; no, no. You are bleeding everywhere; I ain't kissing you."

The front door of the motel room opened and Sam limped towards them; leaning against the bathroom doorway. He had cuts and bruises all over his face as well. "I see they improved your face." Dean quipped.

"Yeah; right back atcha." Sam smirked.

"Are you ok?" Andie asked him as she washed Dean's blood of her hands.

Sam nodded. "Yeah; fine."

"So a Crocada, huh?" Dean said as he slid of the counter and walked back out into the bedroom.

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"Boys; I'm taking a shower." Andie told them. Sam called second as she shut the door. Only when she was showering did Andie realize she'd hurt herself in the fight back at the house. She had a cut on her side and one on the back of her head. Neither was serious but they stung as she washed her hair. Clean and much happier; Andie went out to the boys. They were drinking beer and watching TV. Sam jumped to his feet as Andie came out and cleared up into the bathroom.

"You ok?" Andie asked Dean as she towel dried her hair. He looked despondent but nodded. Andie sighed. "Look...Dean I'm sorry it wasn't your dad on the phone."

Dean smirked. "Yeah; I gave Sammy a hell of a time on this one…and he was right."

"Yeah; well. He was due." Andie smirked as she discarded the towel on her head. "Stop worrying about it." She knelt before him resting her elbows on his knees.

"I can't." Dean admitted; looking down at his beer bottle. "I wanted to believe so badly that there's a way outta this – that Dad had found the way to do it. But I can't think like that; he's not gonna show up at the last minute with some miracle solution." He looked at her; obviously uncomfortable about discussing something so sensitive with her. "I mean...I'm staring down the barrel of this thing…hell. For real. Forever. And, y'know…" he trailed off.

"Yeah." Andie mumbled.

Dean bit his lip. "I'm scared, Andie. I mean I'm _really_ scared." He scoffed. "I was willing to believe anything; last act of a desperate man." He chuckled dryly.

"There's nothin' wrong with having hope." Andie told him as she watched him sympathetically; knowing he didn't want her pity but not able to help feel so bad for him. She wanted to do something – anything – to make him feel better. "Dean; we still have time."

"Yeah; but time's runnin' out." He reminded her. "And I can't expect the answer to just come outta nowhere." He paused, running his tongue over his bottom lip. "The only person who can get me outta this is me."

"And me." Andie added.

Dean cocked his head at her. " "And me" ? That's what you come back with "And me."?"

Andie frowned. "Do you want a poem?"

"Moment's gone." Dean grabbed a bottle of beer for her and turned up the TV. "Drink." He held the beer out to her.

Andie smirked but didn't take the drink. Instead she grabbed the remote and muted the TV. She rose up off her feet and climbed into Dean's lap. "Hi." She said sweetly as she tried to kiss him.

"I thought I was too bloody." He reminded her.

"Yeah; well now I'm clean." Andie smirked again and kiss him gently; avoiding the cut above his upper lip.

"Ooh." Dean moaned with a smile. "You're dirty."

"You love it."

"I do." He grinned. "Ow; watch the goods, honey."

"Oh; man-up."

**xxx**


	49. Chapter 49: Friend? Foe? Both?

**CHAPTER FORTY-NINE**

**Day 340**

'Friend? Foe? Both?'

The next morning Andie woke up with a start; as though someone was shaking her. But when she opened her eyes she didn't see anyone. She turned slightly and saw Dean still asleep beside her and Sam asleep in the bed against the wall. Suddenly wide awake, Andie got out of bed and went to get a glass of water. As she looked out of the window above the sink; she noticed an aging station wagon parked beside the Impala.

Andie tossed on Dean's jacket and went outside; shivering in the cold, early morning air. Walking over to the station wagon; she noticed Dale asleep in the front seat. "Hey." Andie called as she rapped her knuckles on the window.

Dale woke up and blinked a few times as he pulled himself into a sitting position. "Morning." He grumbled as he winded down the window.

"What are you doing here?" Andie asked; wrapped her arms around her body to keep warm.

"I wanted to see you before I left." Dale told her.

"How'd you know I was here?" she asked.

"Followed the only Impala in town." Dale shrugged as he began rifling through the mountain of bags in his backseat. "I wanted to give you something." He removed a thick, tan leather-bound book from a canvas bag and handed it to Andie.

Taking the book apprehensively; noting that the soft leather felt familiar, Andie opened it and realized it was a photo album. She flicked through the pages and recognized her parents and her grandmother with Andie at a very young age. "Where did you get this?" she asked Dale.

"From your house when I went to see you after your mother died." Dale explained. "It was in a box of stuff in the attic; it was the only album I could find."

Andie knew why that was; her mother hadn't taken any photos after her father died. She was too sad to do anything that reminded her of her husband. She even took all the framed photos around the house and hid them away so she wouldn't have to see them. "Thank you." She said with a nod.

"You're very welcome." Dale winked at her as he climbed into the driver's seat.

"Where are you headed?" Andie asked as she wrapped the album up in her coat.

Dale sighed and looked towards the horizon. "I don't know. I've spent over ten years looking for you...I guess the rest of the road is an open canvas." He removed a card from his glove box and handed it to Andie. "That's my cell phone number; call me if you need me."

Andie smirked as she took the card. "You splurged and got a cell?" she asked.

"Had to move with the times, Andie." He told her with a laugh as he started up his car.

"Wait; ah…you got a pen?" she asked him.

Dale found a biro in his jacket pocket and handed it to her. Andie scribbled her phone number down on a receipt she found in Dean's jacket. "If you get stuck…" She explained as she handed the paper and pen back to Dale.

Dale nodded appreciatively. "And, hey, if I find something that'll help Dean…" He offered.

Andie nodded back. "Thanks." She waited on the curb as he reversed his car into the street and drove off; waving as he did so. Sighing – and freezing – Andie went back inside the motel room. Sam was up and moving around as she came in.

"Hey; where'd you get to?" he asked her as he stifled a yawn.

"Dale was here." She showed him the photo album. "Wanted to give me this before he left."

Sam looked puzzled. "Who's Dale?"

It took Andie a second to realize she had only told Dean about Dale; not Sam. "Oh, right." She pulled a chair out at the kitchen table. "Take a seat."

**xxx**

**Day 344**

The next town the trio stopped off was Pennsylvania on the tail of a demon Sam was convinced knew who held Dean's contract. He claimed Ruby told him that this demon, currently residing in the body of a mechanic, who worked in the deeper circles of hell so if anyone knew who it was, it was him.

They had tracked the demon, whose former human name had been Max, to Erie, Pennsylvania. They followed him after work to a bar called Bennie's and were watching him from a back table as they ate their dinner.

"Ruby tell you anything else about this guy?" Dean asked his brother as he swigged from his beer bottle and poked his fork in his dinner; chicken parmigiana.

"Just that the body, Max, has been dead for about a month." Sam told him as he ate some fries off his plate. "Demon probably killed it himself."

"How sure are we he doesn't know where here?" Andie brought up as she finished off her burger.

"Well, if he did – what's stopping him from leading us to the middle of nowhere for a smackdown?" Dean reasoned.

Andie considered this as she finished off her drink. The door to the bar opened and a young woman walked in. As soon as Andie saw her she choked on her drink and started coughing.

"You alright?" Dean asked her; uselessly thwacking her on the back.

Her eyes watering, Andie recovered and pointed to the woman who'd just come in. "Don't look but that chick that just walked in? I know her." Both Sam and Dean craned their necks to get a glimpse at her. "I said _don't_ look!" Andie snapped at them.

Sam turned back to Andie. "Who is she?"

"Her name's Cassidy Murphy. She's a hunter." Andie whispered to them both. "Sam; remember I told you I went on Spring Break when I first came to America?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah; you said you partied with a bunch of drunk frat guys."

"What's that now?" Dean looked over at Andie with raised eyebrows.

"I met Cassidy there." Andie explained in a hurried but hushed voice as she hid behind Dean. "First night on the beach I'm with this guy when all of a sudden this chick whacks me in the back of the head with what I found out later was an umbrella. It was Cassidy. Turns out I was making out with her boyfriend. I tried to apologize; she didn't care. Two weeks later I'm chasing this vampire and I ran straight into Cassidy – literally; took out two of her teeth – had to take her to hospital. Long story short she forgave me for all the boyfriend stuff and we kinda became friends."

Sam looked confused. "Then why are you hiding from her?"

"Well...that's kinda my fault." Andie admitted. "Years ago on her birthday I couldn't afford a good present so sent a fat stripper guy to her house as a joke. Unbeknownst to me her grandfather had just died and the stripper started dancing in the middle of the wake. So then on _my_ birthday she told me she was having trouble getting rid of a ghost. So I went to the address she gave me and…well...I'm not exactly sure what was going on but it involved three naked chicks and a donkey." She shuddered at the memory. "Anyway, this has been going on for almost seven years now, haven't seen her since just after we took care of baby Charlie..."

"She a good hunter?" Sam asked.

"Meh." Andie shrugged as she peered towards the bar. "Crap; I think she spotted me."

"Morgan." Cassidy greeted her. "So nice to see you."

"Murphy." Andie stood up out of the booth in front of her friend. Cassidy was always shorter than Andie remembered; at least a head shorter than Andie. "If you stood on a phone book; it'd be nice to see you, too." she smirked.

"Ah; the Morgan wit." Cassidy returned the smirk. "I love it like I love the scab on my knee."

Andie chuckled. "Aren't you sweet?"

Cassidy glanced down at Dean and Sam. "The Winchesters; I presume? Andie filled me in."

"You know us?" Sam asked with a grin.

"Our reputation precedes us." Dean grinned smugly. "Always nice to meet a fan." He tipped his beer bottle to Cassidy.

Cassidy didn't look too impressed with him. "Tall and cute; Sam. Short and overconfident; Dean." She pointed to each of the brothers respectively. She nodded at Andie. "Just how you described them."

"Do you want something? Or are you just killing time 'til you have to get back to Santa?" Andie quipped.

"Oh, Andie." Cassidy laughed. "Every time you use that joke it gets funnier." She wiped a fake tear from her eye. "Actually I'm here waiting for my fiancé." She smirked.

"Fiancé?" Andie gaped at her. "Really?"

"Don't sound so shocked Morgan." Cassidy tutted as she wiggled her ring finger up at Andie showing off a sparkling jewel.

"Are you seriously being serious?" Andie raised her eyebrows suspiciously. "Or is this like the time you told me my parents were alive?"

"Always so apprehensive." Cassidy sighed.

"Well, congratulations." Andie grinned. "Who's the unfortunate human whose essence you've stolen?"

"It's Frank." Cassidy nodded.

"Frank…you mean that guy who, when I saw you last, was sniffing paint fumes in your garage?" Andie folded her arms.

"Yeah…" Cassidy shrugged nonchalantly. "He's not the sharpest tool in the shed but..." she shrugged again.

"Can we talk shop for a second?" Andie asked her.

"Demons? I'm always in!" She excitedly sat beside Sam at their table. "Just killed a massive sect on this farm in the middle of nowhere. Weirdest thing; they wore the skeletons of their victims as jewelry."

"And I guess I'm done." Dean pushed his plate of chicken out of sight.

"We're after a specific guy named Max; local mechanic? Been living as a demon for about a month now." Andie asked. Pranks and insults aside, when it was time to talk work; Cassidy and Andie held it together.

"That's him there." Sam told her as he pointed to Max who was sitting at the end of the bar.

"Why you after him?" Cassidy asked as she gave Max the once over.

Dean nudged Andie, telling her silently not to say a word about his deal. "Cause he's a demon, duh." Andie answered with an eye roll.

"Well, if you get bored of the small fry; I'm on the tail of something a little more exciting." Cassidy informed them. "Some guy cutting up bodies and leaving 'em for dead."

"Why?" Dean asked.

"For kicks? I dunno." Cassidy shrugged as she helped herself to some fries on Sam's plate. "I tracked him here; think he might be scoping for a new victim." She kicked Andie under the table. "Wanna come? Could be like that ghost in Montana…remember?"

Andie shook her head. "Cass; that was a one-time thing; I'd never had Saki before."

"Really?" Dean raised his eyebrows and grinned at Andie. "I'm so ordering you Saki."

Cassidy got to her feet. "Gimme a call if you want in. Here's my card." she tossed something at Andie.

"Cass; this isn't a card it's a matchbook," Andie glanced over it. "With no numbers on it."

"Yeah; be seeing ya." She waved as she walked away, her jet black, cropped hair bobbing with each step.

"Well she is delightful." Dean muttered sarcastically.

Sam was still watching her leave. "Maybe we should go after her guy…" he muttered quietly.

Dean smacked his hand down on the table to get his brother's attention. "Sammy! Now I know you like the shorties but we're on _my_ case here, member?"

"Oh; oh." Andie nodded towards the bar. "Our buddy Max is moving." The demon was getting to his feet as she finished the dregs of a glass of beer.

Dean fished a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket and ushered Andie out of their booth. "Let's hurry this up so I can get Saki into you." He smacked her butt playfully as she stood up.

Andie turned and glared at him. "If you value your balls in any respect; you'll never touch me like that again." She scolded him.

"Ha-ha, Dean." Sam jostled him. "You just got _told_."

"Shut up." Dean shoved him.

**xxx**

It hadn't been as difficult as Andie had thought it would be to capture and knock out Max. One of the fallouts of them having human body's as hosts was that they were subjects to human injuries. The demon couldn't be killed but their body could be rendered inert; therein lay the difficulty. If they wounded Max too much he'd just expel the human body and go off to find another. They had to knock him out and drag him back to their latest residence – an abandoned two-story home on a street full of homeless people – and tie him to a chair placed squarely inside a spray painted Devil's Trap before they even began questioning him. Sam, Dean and Andie, all armed with bottled of holy water, stood in a triangle around Max prepped for anything that might happen.

Dean tossed half his bottle of holy water to wake up Max. The demon roared with pain as we he woke; his face burning. "You ready to talk?!" Dean screamed at him. "Who holds my contract?"

Max sputtered and writhed in the ropes keeping him bound. "I don't know anything!" He spat.

"Oh; you hear that guys?" Dean asked Andie and Sam sarcastically. "He doesn't know anything."

"Yeah; I heard." Sam smirked.

"I'm tellin' the truth." Max said to Dean.

"Oh; you are?" Andie knelt down into Max's face. "Then we owe you and apology. Or a hug; you pick." She doused Max's head with holy water. It seemed to bubble with heat right off his face. He breathed heavily and hung his head as she stepped away.

"I'm gonna ask you one last time," Dean said warningly. "Who holds my contract?!"

Max lifted his head up and revealed his demonic, black eyes. He grinned evilly at Dean. "Your mother." He smirked. "Yeah; she showed it to me just before I bent her over."

Dean's whole body tensed. He lunged forward so he was nose-to-nose with Max. "I want a name," he growled. "Or I sw-"

"Or what? Hm?" Max asked. "You gonna squirt your holy water in both ends?" he scoffed. "Please. Brother; that's like a flea bite compared to what's coming to you if I tell you Jack." Dean stepped away. "Do what you want. The only thing I'm scared of is the demon holding your ticket."

Dean squared his stance and shared a look with Sam, who knew what to do. Sighing, Sam starting a depossession spell. "Exatu demustae. Omnis enu spiritus."

Max started to write. Dean circled him; watching him with a glare. "How's that feel? That feel good?" He taunted him.

"Go ahead." Max told them as he cracked his neck. "Send me back to hell. Cause when you get there; I'll be waiting for you. I've got a few pals who are just _dying_ for a little meet-and-greet with Dean Winchester." He let out a loud, devilish cackle.

"Should I?" Sam asked his brother.

"Send him some place he can't hurt anyone else." Dean muttered back.

"Oname ensecuries et forsary et forium." Sam spoke. "Omnes legeo omnes encuro let amnesarvio. Let ness ario. Et sect ovion curo."

Andie watched Max write and strain in his chair as Sam expelled and relocated the demon inside. Dean looked away; jaw clenched as the smoke billowed and dispersed into the air. Soon, all that was left was the limp, decaying body of human Max. Sighing, Andie looked to Sam who was looking at her with a similar expression to the one on her own face. She knew they were both thinking the same thing. They were running out of options. No demons were willing to give up the name of who held Dean's contract. And three weeks out; they were nearing the end of their rope. They no longer had time on their side.

**xxx**


	50. Chapter 50: Your Truth Is A Lie

**CHAPTER FIFTY**

**Day 345**

'Your Truth Is A Lie'

Dean and Andie wrapped Max's body in some old blankets and took it out the back of the abandoned house. The floor of the shed was the ground; it didn't actually have a _real_ floor, so Dean and Andie dug a grave and buried Max inside. Sweaty, covered in dirt and grime and dying for a cold beer, the two of them headed back inside and found Sam mid-conversation on his cell phone.

"You ran the prints twice?" Sam was saying into his cell. "You're sure?" he sighed. "Ok…um, just chalk it up to lab error." He chuckled. "Don't I know it. Ok; I'll tell the Lieutenant." He hung up his phone and nodded at Dean. "Bury the body?"

"Yeah. Poor schmuck." Dean muttered as he grabbed a beer and snapped off the lid. "It's like these demons ride 'em hard just for kicks." He exhaled deeply as he sat on a moth-eaten sofa. "What was the call about?"

Sam was smiling triumphantly. "Remember that thing in the paper this morning?" he asked his brother.

Dean thought a moment. "Stripper suffocates man with thighs?"

Andie smirked as she sat in the easy chair across from him and opened her beer bottle.

"The other thing." Sam said; still smiling.

"Right; the guy who walked into the ER, keels over dead with his stomach ripped out." Dean recalled swigging from his drink.

"His liver, actually," Sam corrected him. "Anyway, I just found out something pretty damn interesting. The dead body? Covered in bloody fingerprints – not the victims."

"K…great." Dean shrugged. "My man Dave Caruso will be stoked to hear it."

"Those fingerprints match a guy who died in 1981." Sam finished with a proud smirk.

"Well, that's peculiar." Andie noted.

"So…what're we talking?" Dean asked as he leant forwards. "Walking dead? Walking killing dead?" he couldn't hide the excitement on his face.

"Maybe." Sam shrugged.

"Well, zombies do like the other-other white meat." Dean added as he took another swig of beer. "Why do you care so much about zombies anyway?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Well, you've been on soul-saving detail for months," Dean reminded him. "Three weeks out...all of a sudden you're interested in some hot zombie action?"

"Hey man, you're the one who's been so gung-ho to hunt." Sam told him. "I just thought I'd be doing you a favour."

"Oh, no, no, no," Dean assured his brother as he got to his feet. "I didn't say I didn't wanna do it, ok? I mean, obviously I wanna hunt some zombies."

"Ok, fine. Whatever." Sam chortled.

Dean looked him up and down, nodded once at Andie and left the room.

"You guys fight like a married couple; you know that?" Andie commented.

**xxx**

Cheap suits were a go again as Dean, Andie and Sam headed down to the morgue to check out the body of the man in the newspaper. They met with Dr. Michaels; the Medical Examiner who had completed the autopsy.

"The rest of the body was intact," Dr. Michaels was saying. "Liver was the only organ missing."

"Now, where the liver was ripped out; did you happen to notice any teeth marks?" Dean asked in his serious, detective's voice.

Dr. Michaels glanced suspiciously at the three of them. "Can I see your badges?" he asked. They all offered up their badges for Dr. Michaels to get a good look at. He seemed to believe them. "Fine. So you're cops _and_ morons."

"Excuse me?" Dean asked. "No, no, we're very smart."

Dr Michaels walked away from them and towards the cooler wall where the bodies were kept. "The liver was not ripped out." He pulled out a tray with the victim's body on it. "It was removed; surgically. By someone who knew their way around a scalpel." He looked furtively at Dean, Andie and Sam's faces. "Didn't you read my report?"

"Course we did." Andie said, wincing as she looked over the body. There was a large but clean gash in the victim's side. "It was riveting."

"Page turner." Dean echoed.

"Just delightful." Sam added.

Dr. Michaels sighed. "Are you done?"

"I think so." Dean nodded.

"Please go away." The doctor told them in a withering voice.

"Ok." Dean turned and walked away.

"Sure." Sam nodded as he followed his brother with Andie at his heels. When the three of them came out into the hall, Sam was grinning again.

"What?" Andie asked him.

"That kinda punches a whole in our zombie theory, huh?" Sam replied. "With that scalpel thing? Zombies don't use tools."

"Yeah, Dr Quinn: Medicine Zombie." Dean quipped.

"Well, maybe we're going about this the wrong way." Andie suggested. "Maybe we're not looking for hacked up corpses?"

Sam looked very excited. "Yeah; we should be looking for survivors. This isn't zombie lunch; it's organ theft."

**xxx**

The search for survivors led them back to the hospital to a man named Jason Edwards.

"I told the cops all of this yesterday," Jason said bitterly. "I don't wanna talk about it anymore.

"It's just a couple of questions, sir." Sam assured him as he took out a pen and notepad.

"Hey, man," Jason said irritably. "I just got my kidney stolen—I'm tired."

"We'll be outta here quick." Dean assured him. "But, come on, don't you wanna get the guy?"

"Will it get me back my kidney?" he asked sarcastically.

"Probably not." Andie told him honestly. "But on the bright side you have a killer personality."

Sam gave her a look. "Sir, what's the last thing you remember?" he asked Jason.

"Feeding my meter." Jason answered. "Jumped me from behind…then I wake up strapped to a table…and then the _worst_ pain you could possibly imagine. Only worse. Then I blacked out again; thank god. And then I wake up – screaming – in some no-tell motel in a bathtub full of ice."

"Do you remember anything about the surgery?" Dean asked. "What the guy looked like? Anything special about the room?"

Jason closed his eyes looking very discombobulated. "Hm…lemme think about that…" he pretended to think. "Yeah…one thing is coming back to me…you know what I remember? Getting my _kidney_ cut out of my _body_!"

"Well you are just enchanting." Andie muttered. "I hope they give you a pig's kidney."

"Detective; outside." Sam turned her around by her shoulders and shoved her out of the room.

**xxx**

The three of them left the hospital with no help from Jason, picked up some take away and went back to their motel room. Sam got out his laptop and started researching ancient surgical methods while Andie and Dean dove into their burgers.

"So I got a theory." Sam spoke up. "I spoke to Mr. Giggles doctor; turns out his incisions were sewn up with silk."

"That's weird." Dean said with a mouthful of food.

"Yeah; _now_ it is but look," he turned his laptop around so Andie and Dean could see. "It used to be the method of choice but in the early 19th century. It was really problematic; patients would get massive infections – death rate was insane."

"Good times." Andie noted as she glanced at the laptop screen.

"Yeah; so doctor's would do whatever they could to stop the infection from spreading." Sam continued. "One way was maggots."

"Dude; I'm eating." Dean groaned.

"Wait; I saw something about that on Animal Planet." Andie spoke up. "The maggots eat the diseased flesh and leave good flesh. They used them in wars when soldiers lost limbs to treat gangrene."

"Exactly! And get this; when they found our guy; his body cavity was stuffed full of maggots." Sam added.

"Guys! Eating." Dean said again; a shade of green passing across his face. "Ok, lemme get this straight. So people are getting yanked, a little Antique's Roadshow surgery, a little organ theft—why's this sounding so familiar?"

"Because you heard it before." Sam said with a knowing smirk. "When you were a kid. From Dad." He removed their father's journal that was sitting on his lap and sat it on top of his computer. "Doc Benton. Real life doctor, lived in New Hampshire, brilliant and obsessed with alchemy – especially…how to live forever."

Andie looked over Dean's shoulder at their father's journal. There was a short passage on Doc Benton and as well as numbers and symbols Andie didn't understand. "Wait—immortality?"

Sam nodded. "So in 1816, Doc closes his practice-"

"Yeah; right, no one hears for him for, like, twenty years," Dean recalled. "All of a sudden people start showin' up dead."

"Dead or missing an organ or hand or some other body part." Sam said.

"So whatever he was doing was actually working." Dean assumed. "He just kept on ticking. Parts would wear out and he'd just replace 'em." He paused. "But I thought Dad hunted him down and took his heart out."

"Yeah; I guess he must've plugged in a new one." Sam shrugged.

"So where's he doing the deed?" Dean asked; going back to his burger.

"According to this," Sam picked up the journal. "He picky about where he sets up his lab. He likes dense forest with access to a river or stream or something."

"Why?" Andie asked as she finished off her food. "

"Because that's where he likes to dump the bial and intestines and fecal matter." Sam laughed as he watched Dean blanch. "Lose your appetite yet?"

Dean dry heaved a little but recovered as he looked lovingly at his burger. "Aw, baby, I can't stay mad at you." He took a giant bite and chewed it loudly.

Andie grimaced as she watched him.

"What?" Dean asked her with an open mouth.

"You're just so pretty." She said with a grossed-out look on her face. She patted his shoulder as she got to her feet.

"Hey; your buddy Cassidy said something about an organ stealer, didn't she?" Dean recalled.

"Yeah; but I wouldn't be so eager to take her word for it." Andie told him. "She's kinda like a cheerleader who never stopped cheering; y'know?

"She seemed legit to me." Sam countered.

"Sweetheart; that's how she gets ya." Andie told him with a knowing shrug. "She's like…a female James Bond. Except without the guns, the accent and the raw sexual magnetism..." She paused. "She's a bitchin' liar; to put it simply."

"What do ya mean?" Sam asked.

Andie shrugged again. "Nine times out of ten she's talking outta her ass."

"Such a lady." Dean smirked at her.

"Still, she might know where we can find him." Sam said with a hopeful shrug. "I mean, it'd save a lot of time if we didn't have to search all the abandoned houses near rivers and stuff."

"Yeah, maybe…" Andie said apprehensively. "But she didn't say it was a demon..."

"How many organ stealing humans you know?" Dean asked her.

"Well, FYI? That is exactly what happened today on _Passions_." Andie retorted.

Sam got to his feet and slung on his jacket. "I'll go back to _Bennie's_; maybe she's there. I won't mention the name; if she knows its Doc Benton than we should get her to help us."

"I doubt she's still in town." Andie shook her head at him.

"Let him go, Morgan." Dean spoke up. "You and I can stay here and you and go into very specific detail about that Saki story." He raised his eyebrows at her and grinned.

"Never." Andie shook her head. "Sam?" She called to him as he headed out the door. "Don't do anything stupid; she's like a verbal locksmith; can get anything outta anyone." Sam waved dismissively at her as he closed the door. Andie dropped her hands at her sides and turned back to Dean.

"If you hate Cassidy so much; why are you friends with her?" Dean asked with raised eyebrows as he polished off the last of his burger.

"I don't _hate_ her." Andie assured him. "I know her too well, is all. She can't pull one over on me anymore; but that doesn't mean she's gonna stop all together." She picked up John Winchesters journal and started thumbing through it. "She's actually pretty awesome when you get to know her...just that nobody ever gets to. She has trust issues – meaning no one trusts her. But she'd never do anyone any intentional harm...I'm sure Sam'll be fine."

**xxx**

Sam arrived at _Bennie's_ and spotted Cassidy almost immediately. Her small stature stood out among the taller people around her. She was happily playing away at a pinball machine when Sam approached her; seemingly unaware he was there.

"Cassidy?" Sam voiced tentatively.

"Samuel!" Cassidy answered with a wide smile; though she didn't take her eyes off her pinball. "Figured one of you Winchesters would track me down." She smirked. "So this means your brother and Andie are together?"

"How'd you know?" Sam asked; watching her expertly flick the pinball around.

"She'd never let her guy come see me on his own." Cassidy informed him. "Not after Steve."

"Steve?" Sam inquired.

"I thought they'd broken up!" Cassidy snapped defensively. "Not my fault he was hitting on me…and then slept with me…" she shrugged. "Water under the bridge; but ever since Morgan's been iffy with her fellas around me.

"How do you know I just didn't tell her I was coming?" Sam asked curiously.

"Morgan always knows." Cassidy replied with a smile. Sam chuckled. "What?" she asked as she glanced at him.

Sam shrugged. "Nothin…it's just…Dean calls her Morgan; she hates – well she _used_ to - hate it."

"Yeah; used to hate it when I started, too." Cassidy skillfully smacked the button on the side of the machine and scored double points; pushing her to the top of the high scores. "I rule!" She yelped as the lights around the machine lit up to display her prowess. "Buy me a beer." Cassidy patted Sam's chest and directed them to the bar.

Sam ordered some drinks and then sat with Cassidy at a table in the corner. _Bennie's _was obviously not the hot-spot in town; there were only five other people there and two were behind the bar. Cassidy tapped her fingers impatiently on the table as she waited for her drink to arrive. Sam glanced over her. She wasn't all that short in reality; but everyone was short to Sam. Her chin-length dark hair was almost jet black and glinted in the dim lamplight around them. Her skin was tanned and smooth; she was quite petite but her personality seemed to shine through her even as she sat silently.

"Hey; where's your ring?" He asked with a furrowed brow. "Frank not show up?"

"Oh, um…" Cassidy looked sheepish as she dug into her jeans pocket and retrieved the ring she'd been showing off to Andie earlier. "Don't tell on me; ok Sam?"

"You're pranking Andie?" Sam inquired unable to hide his smile.

"Yeah; it's my turn." She rested her chin in her hands. "We sorta made this unspoken rule that our pranks are retaliation for a previous prank. One prank at a time; it's only fair."

"So no Frank?" Sam asked curiously.

"No; sweetness." Cassidy shook her head. "Well; there was but that fell through."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"Did you not hear what Andie said before? He sniffed paint fumes." Cassidy reminded him as their beers arrived. "And I ain't marryin' no one with drugged out genes." She shuddered as she took a swig of her drink.

"But you still kept the ring?" Sam inquired; taking a sip of beer.

"Figure I'll pawn it for cash when I need to. And of course, to prank Andie. Do not rat me out." Cassidy told him firmly. "So...what're you after? Sex or help?"

Sam choked on his beer and coughed. "Wh-what?" He sputtered.

"In my experience; a man only tracks a lady down because he needs her help or because he wants to nail her." She leant forwards to Sam. "Which one are you? And, God, I hope it's the one I think it is." She held her tongue between her teeth and raised her eyebrows.

"I need your help." Sam managed to say.

"Eh; what good are you?" Cassidy slumped back in her seat, clearly not getting the response she wanted.

"That demon you were talking about; the one stealing the organs?" Sam asked.

"Yeah; Doc Benton or something he calls himself." Cassidy shrugged. "Not exactly a demon; but Lord knows he ain't human no' mo'." She suddenly narrowed her eyes at Sam. "Why the intrigue? Before you were all about Mechanic Max?"

"Yeah, well, he couldn't give us any information…" Sam muttered.

"Information?" Cassidy repeated; very interested. She leant forwards in her seat over the table. "What the hell is going on with you people, Sam? I knew something was up when Morgan didn't wanna help me out; Andie _always_ takes the big case; suddenly she's all about micro demons?"

Sam sighed; feeling boxed into a corner. "I can't tell you." He replied.

"You want my help with Doc Benton; you will." Cassidy said arrogantly.

"Y'know, I don't even think you know anything about him." Sam countered bitterly. "I think you're just playing me."

"Oh, really?" Cassidy raised her thin eyebrows. "Then why are you here, Sam? Why come to a bar alone to talk to a stranger about demons?" She sighed. "I know where Doc Benton is. And if you tell me what the hell Andie's gotten herself into with you and your brother; then I'll tell you everything I know about good ol' Doc Mc-Hackey."

**xxx**


	51. Chapter 51: No Rest For The Winchesters

**CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE**

**Day 346**

'No Rest For The Wincesters'

When Andie awoke the next morning, she was utterly relieved to see Sam asleep in his bed beside her. He hadn't come back the motel by the time Andie had gone to sleep. She'd told Dean he'd sent her a text message saying he'd be late so he would go to sleep – a blatant lie - then she'd waited for an hour, thinking Cassidy may have talked him into an all night drinking binge, before she turned in for a restless night's sleep. Untangling Dean's arm from her waist, Andie got out of bed and showered. The noise of her movement woke up both Winchesters.

"Sammy; good to see you again." Dean greeted his brother with a yawn. "Look; I'm all for you getting lucky but at least let us know ahead of time that you're not gonna be here for dinner. I slaved all night in that kitchen."

"We ordered pizza." Andie reminded him. "And you ate it all."

Dean grinned proudly. "Was a good night; wasn't it?"

"What did Cassidy say?" Andie asked Sam.

"She was actually kinda helpful." Sam admitted as he reached for his wallet on the nightstand. "She gave me Doc Benton's address."

"What?!" Dean and Andie yelped in unison.

Sam nodded. "Said she'd give us a hand if we needed to take him down."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Dean got out of bed in a split second. "Sammy; tell me you did _not_ tell her about by deal." His brother's silence was didn't assure Dean. "Dammit, Sam!"

"You told her?" Andie couldn't believe her ears. "I knew she'd do this. Sam; listen to me when I speak to you; _talkin' outta her ass_!" She snapped. "Alright; I'm gonna go hunt her down. It's one thing to prank me but quite another to do it to you." She grabbed for her clothes.

"Whoa, Andie, cool it, ok?" Sam said calmly. "I don't think she was lying."

"Come on, Sam, I know she's hot but think with the brain in your skull; please." Andie begged him. "This is probably just her elaborate joke on me. When we get to that house there's gonna be old people doin' it or something."

"Trust me, Andie." Sam chuckled. "She's not gonna prank you like this…"

Andie snapped her neck up and glared at him. "What does that mean? Did she tell you how she was gonna prank me?" She asked very quickly in a comically, high-pitched voice. "Sam; tell me. Tell me!"

**xxx**

Cassidy was happy to be heading out of town. Doc Benton would have to wait, she had bigger fish to fry and they were nowhere near Erie. She tossed her duffle bag in the back of her truck and pulled out her cell. She'd gotten Andie's phone number out of Sam's cell the night before when he'd gone to the restroom. Thinking she'd just message her friend and let her know she was heading out, with a little side note of _'I'll let you know about the wedding date' _to keep her prank going, Cassidy leant against the rear of her truck and started typing. She felt the hairs prick up on the back of her neck as some very heavy footsteps found their way towards her. Looking up, Cassidy saw a grotesque man with graying, matted hair with skin on his face that resembled a patchwork quilt. She knew exactly who he was; even though she'd never been face to face with him before.

"Doc Benton." Cassidy sneered. "You are just as ugly as I expected. But hell; with all those people you're made up of; no way it could turn out all pretty-pretty."

"You are an insolent child." Doc Benton retorted with an evil smirk. "But your attitude is not what I'm longing for."

"Oh yeah?" Cass replied; feeling around in the back of her truck for something. "And what are you after?" her hands clasped around her Dad's old shotgun.

"Many things." Doc Benton took a step toward her.

Cassidy whipped the gun out and fired two bullets directly into his chest. The Doc fell in a lump at her feet. She sighed as she stood over him proudly, squatting down on her ankles to get a good look at her victim. "Not so tough now, are ya?" She sneered at him.

Doc Benton grabbed her before she even knew what was going on. He gripped her by the back of the neck and rolled on top of her, covering her mouth with a sodden, dirty cloth. Cassidy tried to scream but all she could seem to do was breathe in the sickly smelling liquid soaked into the cloth. She was out cold before she even knew what had happened.

**xxx**

"I found the cabin Cass was talking about." Sam said proudly wielding a map as he came into the bedroom where Dean was unwillingly helping Andie fold clothes. "It's an old hunting cabin."

"Great." Dean tossed a folded shirt down. "Then what are we waiting for?" His cell phone chose that moment to start ringing. Grabbing it off the nightstand; he saw the caller ID read that it was Bobby. "Bobby?" He answered.

Andie placed all her folded clothes in a drawer and watched as Dean talked with Bobby. She'd never been as domestic as she had been lately, folding clothes and, on two occasions, cooking dinner. It was strange...but she didn't hate it.

"What's that, like a Cleveland Steamer?" Dean scoffed into the phone at Bobby.

Andie nudged Sam. "What's a Cleveland Steamer?" He gave her a grossed-out look and shook his head. "Never mind; I'll Google it." She trooped over to Sam's open laptop. Opening a webpage; she typed 'Cleveland Steamer' into the search bar and hit enter. "Ok…" she opened a link that came up. "A Cleveland Steamer is a form of coprophilia where a person def...oh my God…" Andie immediately closed the window and felt her stomach turn. "Dean; you're a sick man."

He was looking at her; but obviously not listening to her. "And he thinks it's Bela?" Dean said into his phone.

The mention of Bela's name caused the sick feeling in Andie's stomach to flip flop and start all over again. She got to her feet and headed towards Dean. "Bela?" She repeated.

"Thanks, Bobby, we'll be right there." Dean said into the phone. "Ok…" he added uncertainly before he hung up the phone. "Pack your crap; we're heading out. And apparently we need a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue."

"What?" Sam asked.

"We're going after Bela." Dean grabbed his bag from under his bed and started packing up. "Clocks tickin'; come on!"

"Finally!" Andie yelled happily as she collected her newly folded clothes

"Whoa; whoa; whoa," Sam held up his hands. "I think we should stay here and finish the case."

Dean scoffed. "Are you insane?" He chuckled as he yanked on his jacket.

"Dean; there's no way she still has the colt; that was months ago." Sam said worriedly. "She probably sold it the second she got it."

"Well; then I'll kill her." Dean shrugged.

"Oh; win-win." Andie agreed cheerfully as she chucked Dean the rest of his stuff.

Sam closed his eyes and tensed. "Dean-"

"Sam." Dean silenced him. "We're going."

"Come on, Sam." Andie approached him. "This is the bitch that tried to kill me. She probably still thinks I'm dead. Not to mention she stole everything I own and your gun." She shrugged. "Don't you wanna make her pay?"

"No." Sam replied.

"Why not?" Dean asked angrily.

"Because, this," he gestured at the map of Doc Benton's cabin. "This here is what's gonna save you."

"What, chasing some Frankenstein?" Dean laughed.

"Chasing immortality." Sam corrected him. His brother and Andie gave him the same confused expression. "Look; Benton can't die!" He reminded them hopefully. "We find out how he did it; we can do it to you."

"What are you talkin' about?" Dean asked.

"You have to die before you go to hell, right?" Sam explained. "So if you can never die-"

"Wait, wait, wait a second," Dean cut in. "Did you know that this was Doc Benton from the jump?"

"Ooh; hell no, Sam." Andie added firmly as she stood beside Dean in front of her brother.

"No…" Sam muttered unconvincingly. "Ok; maybe." He corrected himself.

"So this whole zombie thing; you were just lying to us?" Dean continued heatedly.

"I didn't wanna say anything until I was sure, Dean." Sam explained. "All I'm trying to do is find an answer here."

"No, no, all you're trying to do is chase Slicey McHackey here." Dean replied sarcastically. "And to kill him? Naw; you wanna buy him a friggin' beer! You wanna study him!"

"I was just trying to help!" Sam snapped defensively.

"You're not helping!" Dean yelled. "You forget that if I welch on this deal; you die! Guess what? Living forever is welching!"

"Fine so whatever the magic formula is I'll take it to; we all can!" Sam retorted.

"Oh; what is this? Sid and Nancy? Come on." Dean turned and went back to packing his bag. "It's just like Bobby's been sayin'; we kill the demon that holds my contract and this whole thing wipes clean. That's our best shot."

"Even if you had the colt, Dean, who're you gonna shoot?" Sam asked with a shrug of his shoulders. "We have no idea who holds your ticket."

"Well; I'll shoot the Hellhounds then; before they slash me up!" Dean yelled. "Now are you coming or not?"

"I'm staying here." Sam said firmly.

"No, you're not." Dean replied just as firmly as he stepped towards his brother. "Cause I'm not gonna let you wander out into the woods alone to track some organ stealing freak!"

"You're not gonna _let_ me?" Sam chuckled.

"That's right; I'm not." Dean snapped.

"How are you gonna stop me?" Sam asked. To this; his brother had no answer. "Look, man...we're trying to do the same thing here."

Dean nodded slowly. "I know." He mumbled.

"Look; I won't be alone, ok?" Sam told him. "Cass said she'd help."

"Sam; I know she's cute but are you sure she's not just playing you?" Andie asked him

"Yeah; I'm sure." Sam said to her. "Dean; why are you so against this? What if this is the way?"

"Maybe it is; maybe it's not." Dean told him as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "But I'm going. So if you wanna stay? Stay."

Sam looked at Andie; asking her with his eyes if she was going or staying. Andie slid her shoulder bag over her head. "Sam; the bitch tried to kill me. And not only that; she injected me with that crap that sent me to a dream world. I wanna know why." She sighed. "I've _gotta_ go." She headed out the door ahead of Dean.

Collecting all his stuff; Dean followed Andie. He paused at the door. "Sammy; be careful." He told his brother as he held the front door open.

Sam turned back to his brother with tearfully worried eyes. "You, too." He said.

Dean shut the door and met up with Andie as the pair headed down the hall. "Let's get outta here." He muttered to Andie as they descended the staircase.

"Dean; Sam'll be ok." Andie assured him. "I mean, if Cassidy helps him he'll be fine." She smiled; hoping she made him feel more confident than she did at that moment.

"Yeah." Dean gave a weak smile in return. "Come on." He held open the door for her and together they headed for the Impala.

**xxx**


	52. Chapter 52: Keep Walking

**CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO**

**Day 347**

'Keep Walking'

Sam had been trying to call Cassidy for an hour before he'd left the motel room for Doc Benton's. Thinking that he'd rather have her help than go after Doc Benton alone; he headed for her motel room. She told him when they'd talked at _Bennie's_ that she was staying at the _Murray Motel_ so Sam drove his rental car over there to meet with her. Once he arrived, however, she wasn't in her room. The man in the back office watching TV was of no help so Sam just went back to his car. She'd given him her phone number but he doubted it was real due to everything Andie had told him. When he dialed and heard nothing but an automated voice telling him his call couldn't be connected; he assumed he was right on the money. Sighing; Sam sat his phone in the passenger's seat and took out his map to Doc Benton's cabin. He laid it up against the steering wheel to see the best way to get there from where he was and noticed something up ahead through the windscreen.

He clearly remembered Cassidy telling him about her car, a beat up, old truck that had been her late father's that she'd never once had serviced because he claimed it was solid as tank. Cassidy told him that every dent had a story. The one in the passengers door from when a ten-year-old Cass ran her bike into it, the wonky bumper from Cass's first time driving down the driveway and crushing the letterbox and the crack in the windscreen from when Andie was driving and sped through a cluster of bats. As Sam looked at the truck ahead of him; he knew it was exactly the truck Cassidy had described.

Sam locked his rental and headed over to the truck. The first thing he noticed as the driver's side door was wide open and the keys, along with Cassidy's bag, were on the front seat. Sam noticed her cell phone sticking out of her purse and curiosity got the better of him. Picking it up he realized it was turned off. He clicked it on soon enough a message popped up saying _3 missed calls_. He went into the call history and saw his own name; Cassidy _had_ given him the right number. Putting his elation at that fact aside, Sam began to worry. He noticed a shotgun lying discarded behind the back wheel. He grabbed it and saw the initials _R.M._ scratched into the handle. Randall Murphy; Cassidy's father. He'd left Cass his gun as well as his truck.

Chucking the gun into the back of the truck, Sam locked it and pocketed the keys. Now he was worried; something had happened to Cassidy and Sam was sure of it. "Doc Benton…" He muttered as he climbed into his car. She was tailing the Doc; he had to know she was following him. A young, healthy woman with young, healthy organs; Doc Benton wouldn't be able to resist her. Sam clicked over the engine and clenched his fists around the steering wheel as he drove into the street. She'd given him her actual phone number; he prayed her directions to Doc Benton were real as well. It was his only chance to find out what had happened to her.

**xxx**

Dean and Andie arrived in Canaan, Vermont in the early morning and trooped to Rufus Turner's house. They picked up a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue before they arrived at Rufus's old home and trudged up the front steps apprehensively. There was an unwelcoming sign hanging by the front door that, in thick black letters, read:

**_NO SOLICITORS  
THAT MEANS YOU!!  
NO ASKING FOR DONATIONS!  
NO SELLING ANYTHING!_**

"I'm gonna go ahead and guess he doesn't entertain much…" Andie muttered as she glanced over the sign.

Dean nodded in agreement and rung the doorbell. He banged his fist on the door impatiently before he got an answer. A soft buzzing noise drew both their attention upwards to a camera that was moving so the lens stared directly down at Dean and Andie.

A crackling sound came over the radio hanging by the bell before a gravelly, aggravated voice spat through the speakers. "What?"

"Hi…ah, Rufus?" Dean spoke into the radio.

"Yeah; even if I am the question is still the same; _what?!_" He snarled back.

"I'm, um, I'm Dean Winchester. I'm a friend of Bobby Singer's." Dean explained. "This is Andie." He nodded at her.

"So?" Rufus snapped.

"You called Bobby the morning." Dean reminded him.

"_So_?"

Dean grinned nervously up at the camera. Andie gently thwacked his chest. "So you told Bobby about a British chick that made contact with you?" she asked Rufus.

"Yeah and so?" Rufus asked.

"Do you know where she is?" Dean asked.

"Yeah!"

"Great; can you tell us where we can find her?" Dean asked.

"Nope."

"Ok; you know what-" Andie started as she threateningly pointed her finger at the speaker.

"Ok, ease up." Dean muttered as he pulled her back. He turned to the speaker. "Look; man-"

Suddenly the front door burst open and an African-American man with a sour look on his face was staring down at them with a bowl of half-eaten cereal in his hands. "Lemme point somethin' out to you kids." He said angrily. "_You _are knockin' at _my_ door so don't '_Look, man_' me; I'm _not _your man."

"Sorry, sir." Dean smiled nervously.

Rufus looked them up and down. "Alright; I'm gonna tell you a little story. See; once upon a time Bobby tells me to call him if I gotta whiff of this Bela Talbot. I got a whiff; I called. The End." He turned to go back inside his house.

"Ok; if you could just tell us where she is that'd be great." Andie called after him."Wonderful; in fact." she added with a grin.

Rufus looked at her strangely. "Andie, right?" She nodded. "Andie; do I _look_ like I'm here to help you?"

"You do not." Andie answered immediately.

"Then get the Hell of my property." He spat at her.

"Ok." She turned around.

Dean yanked her back. "Ok; we will." He said to Rufus. "But before we go; can you tell me something?" he retrieved the bottle Johnny Walker Blue from his bag and held it up to Rufus. "Is this any good?"

A wide, toothy smile spread across Rufus's face as he held his front door open for them both to come in.

Andie knew liquor made some people happy; but to Rufus it was like all his Christmas's had come at once. He became a gracious host; offering both Andie and Dean a seat and a glass to drink with him. They sat at his kitchen table almost like a sit-off; Dean and Andie on one side and Rufus directly across from them.

"You know; I don't even both drinking unless it's this stuff." He said as he poured them all a glass. He lifted it to his lips and drank in the smell. "Nectar of the God's; I'm telling you."

Andie shot her drink down in one swallow; not the best way to drink scotch. She shook her head a few times as the alcohol burned down her throat. "Wow; that hits you fast." She muttered.

"Lady has a fine taste in scotch." Rufus praised her as he re-filled her glass.

"Yeah; but she can't hold it. Morgan; take it slow." Dean told her. "I don't need you puking in my car again."

"One time; that happened!" Andie snapped back as she sipped her second drink more slowly.

"Well; this is a nice change." Dean complimented the scotch. "Most of my whiskey comes from a plastic jug." Rufus laughed heartily. "So," Dean continued carefully. "Bela was here because…?"

"She wanted to buy a couple of things," Rufus answered. "Which is gonna take me awhile to round up."

"Where is she now?" Dean asked.

Rufus took a sip of scotch before answering. "Kid; can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Dean agreed apprehensively.

"You got three weeks left," Rufus started. "Why are you wasting your time chasing after that skinny, stuck up, English girl?"

"Here, here." Andie agreed as she downed half of her glass.

"How'd you know about my deal?" Dean asked, glancing at an increasingly drunk Andie beside him.

Rufus lent over the table closer to Dean. "Because I _know_ things." He answered. "I know a _lotta_ things about a _lotta_ people."

"Is that so?" Dean questioned him.

Rufus nodded. "I know ain't no pea-shooter gonna save you."

Dean looked down at his scotch. "What makes you so sure?" he asked Rufus as he sipped his drink.

"Cause that's the job, kid." Rufus shrugged. "Even if you manage to scrape outta this one there's just gonna be something else down the road. Folks like us? There ain't no happy ending. We _all_ got it comin'."

"Well, ain't you a bucket a'sunshine?" Dean asked with a sardonic smile.

Rufus smiled weakly and lent back in his chair. "I'm what you've got to look forward to if you survive." He raised his glass to his lips. "Which you won't." He smiled evilly.

Dean watched him for a moment before Andie slumped tiredly into his shoulder having just downed her second scotch in a matter of minutes.

"Scotch is _gooood_." She mumbled into his arm.

"So, Bela." Dean tried to bring them back on subject.

"Hotel Caynin. Room thirty-nine." Rufus answered as he finished his scotch. "But watch your back."

"I think we can handle Bela." Dean assured him.

"Yeah, we can handle Bela." Andie echoed into Dean's arm.

"Oh; don't be so sure about that." Rufus chided him. "There are things that you don't know about her."

"Oh and you do? Right," Dean remembered. "Because you _know_ things."

"Yep." Rufus grinned smugly.

"So, let me guess; you lifted her fingerprint?" Dean assumed.

"Yep."

"And that got you Jack." Dean presumed.

"Yep." Rufus chuckled. "She burned 'em off. Probably years ago."

"So you're right where we are." Dean told him.

"Nope." Rufus chuckled. "You do her ear?"

Dean looked puzzled. "Sorry?" he asked; sure he'd heard wrong.

"You do...her ear." Rufus repeated more slowly.

Dean looked down at Andie who was staring up at him with a confused look. "Man, I'll try anything once," He looked back at Rufus. "But I dunno, that sounds kinda uncomfortable."

"For _both_ parties." Andie added.

"Ears are as unique to humans as fingerprints." Rufus explained.

"No kidding." Dean humored him.

"Course that don't fly in the courts over here," Rufus admitted. "But in England? They're all over it." He leant in closer to Dean. "A friend of a friend of a friend faxed me ten pages of confidential files within a day. All I had to send him was one clean shot off of the security camera."

"Right," Dean contained his laughter. "One, clean shot of her ear."

Rufus jumped to his feet and retrieved a file from his desk. He slid it across the table towards Dean and Andie. "The so-called Bela Talbot."

Dean flicked open the folder and the first thing he saw was a mug-shot of Bela. Andie crawled herself up Dean's arms and looked over the file. "Holy hell…" She muttered.

**xxx**

On his way to Doc Benton's, Sam tried calling both Andie and Dean on their cell phones but was directed to their voicemail. After leaving two very frantic messages he gave up on them and just concentrated on finding Cassidy. Her directions had been very precise; Sam found the cabin easily. He locked his rental car and headed into the jungle towards a well hidden cabin sticking up out of the ground near the river.

As he approached, Sam didn't see anyone or anything. He entered the cabin; it was shrouded in darkness. He took his torch out of his jacket pocket and clicked it on. Every piece of furniture in the house was covered in dust and cobwebs. Books were scattered everywhere and torn to shreds all over the floor. Sam headed towards the back of the house to a door hidden in the floorboards that led downstairs.

A foul smell greeted Sam's nostrils as he descended the rickety ladder. It smelled as though something was rotting, and had been doing so for many months, in the basement. As he scanned it with his torch he saw an obviously dead body of a man strapped to a table and meekly hidden behind a dirty, ripped screen. To make sure; Sam walked over to him and checked his pulse; he felt nothing. The man's body was covered in a bloody stained sheet and Sam could clearly see an open incision across his chest where his heart would be. Sighing, Sam covered his face and glanced around the room. He noticed an open book sitting on the table beside the body. As Sam looked over it he realized it was Doc Benton's journal. Pocketing it; he continued looking around.

"Cass?" he called out softly as he crept into a similarly shielded area beside the one he was in. It was there he saw Cass lying motionless on a wooden table. Her arms and head were strapped down with leather buckles similar to the one binding her waist to the table. Her arm had been cut open and there was a mass of maggots feasting on her skin.

"Oh, no." Sam muttered as tears watered his eyes. He gulped as he looked down at her sad, tear streaked face. He reached out for her cheek when all of a sudden her eyes flew open and she screamed. "Cass; it's ok!" Sam covered her mouth with his hand and made sure she could see it was him. "It's me; it's ok. Ssh. I'm gonna help you, alright? I'm gonna get you outta here; just calm down, ok?" She quieted down and managed to nod even with her head in a restraint.

Grabbing a cloth from the table beside him, Sam unbuckled Cassidy's bleeding arm, wiped off the maggots and wrapped it up tightly. Cassidy winced and moaned in pain; trying to be as quiet as she could. "Sorry." Sam told her. "I'm sorry." Upstairs; he heard the unmistakable sound of the front door opening. He swore under his breath and quickly released Cass from all of her shackles and scooped her up in his arms. "It's ok." He assured her as he hurried out the back door.

It was nighttime as Sam head into the forest back towards his car. Cassidy was trembling in his arms as he ran as fast as he could. His car was insight so Sam quickened his step. He unlocked it mid-run and carefully piled Cassidy into the passenger's seat. "It's ok; you're ok now." He comforted her. He slammed her door shut and ran around to the driver's side. When he climbed in, Cass was slumped half into his seat and clutching her arm. Sam tried to straighten her up. "Sit up." He told her calmly as he clicked on the engine. "It's ok."

"SAM!" Cassidy suddenly screamed as she saw something behind his shoulder.

Sam didn't even get a chance to turn before his window smashed to pieces all over his back. He managed to see a hideous looking man with a pieced together face; Doc Benton. He grabbed Sam through the window and slammed him up against the steering wheel.

Cassidy gripped her hand around the gearstick and yanked it into reverse. "Sam; floor it!" She yelled at him.

Sam slammed his foot down on the pedal and the car jerked backwards causing Doc Benton to stumble into the path of the car. Now in control of the car; Sam collected himself and shifted gears before speeding the car directly over Doc Benton and off into the distance.

**xxx**


	53. Chapter 53: Formula For Disaster

**CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE**

**Day 347**

'Formula For Disaster'

When Dean and Andie arrived at Motel Caynin; Bela wasn't there but that didn't deter them. Dean broke into her motel room and while Andie checked out the rest of the hotel floor. They didn't have to wait long. Andie was scoping out the fire escape when she saw Bela approaching her room. Keeping to the shadows, Andie waited until Bela had entered through the door before she followed. The obvious scuffle that Andie heard moments later told her Dean had managed to shock Bela. Andie, one of Dean's handguns in her grasp; stood by the door and waited.

Inside the room, Dean had Bela up against the front door. "Where's the colt?" he asked her with a gun to her throat.

"It's long gone." Bela muttered nervously. "Across the world by now."

"You're lying." Dean spat at her as he released his grip and snatched at her purse.

"Call the buyer. Steve Farcey." Bela told Dean when he suddenly grabbed her around the waist. She gasped. "What the hell are you-"

"Don't flatter yourself." Dean snarled at her as he waved the gun he'd retrieved from her waistband in front of her face.

"I know you hate me for what I did to your little friend, Andie." Bela said with fear in her eyes. "Believe me; I never wanted to-"

"Shut up!" Dean yelled. He moved away from Bela and pointed his gun in her face. "Don't move." He ordered as he started searching the room.

"I don't have it!" She growled.

"Oh, yeah, like I'm really gonna believe you." Dean mumbled as he started searching the bags underneath the bed. He didn't see Bela reach for the door.

"Where do you think you're goin'?" Andie's voice suddenly said.

Turning, Dean saw Bela's hand on the open door and Andie aiming her gun in her face with a smirk proudly plastered on her face. "Did I or did I not say 'don't move'?!" Dean roared at Bela as he, too, aimed his gun in her face.

"Andie…" Bela breathed as she backed into the room. "No; I shot you...you're dead. You're meant to be dead!"

"Yeah; weird, huh?" Andie said sarcastically. "You'd think shooting me with a demonic gun would do the trick; turns out I'm just stronger than most idiots shot with the colt."

"I'm sorry." She said with watery eyes. "I never meant-"

"Oh, save it." Dean cut in. "We don't wanna hear an 'I'm sorry' speech." He went back to searching for the colt. "Keep your gun on her, honey." Dean told Andie firmly as he pocketed his own weapon.

"Gladly." Andie smiled at Bela. "So...how are you?" she smirked.

"You have to believe me; Andie, I didn't want to kill you." Bela said in a hushed voice.

"Yeah; course." Andie scoffed. "But not only did you shoot me; you stole from me _and_ injected me with that weird dream crap." she reminded Bela.

"That was supposed to make it easier." Bela explained.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Andie poked her gun into Bela's neck.

"The Peressola; I traded for it months ago." She said. "The colt sends souls to hell. Peressola would have saved you from that; given you the chance to live in a happier world-"

"Oh; spare me the hippie crap." Andie spat at her. "I don't believe a thing you say; not a word."

Bela sighed and glanced at Dean who was going through her luggage. "The colt is gone. Get on a plane if you must. If you track down the buyer you might catch him."

Finding nothing, Dean squared his jaw and took out his gun. He stormed over to Bela and pointed it right between her eyes.

"Are you going to kill me?" Bela asked as Andie retreated and stood by Dean.

"Oh; yeah." Dean said happily.

"You're not the cold-blooded type." Bela told him.

"Oh, you mean, like you?" Dean asked her. "Yeah; that's true. See; I couldn't imagine killing my parents."

Bela's face fell and she stared Dean down. "I don't know what you're-"

"Yeah; you do." Andie told her. "We read _all_ about it. You were what, fourteen? Your folks died in some shady car accident?"

"Police suspected a slashed break line," Dean continued. "But it was all too crispy to tell."

"Do you two know you finish each other's thoughts?" Bela told them with a smirk. "It's sickening."

"Can it Bela – oh; I'm sorry. I mean, _Abby._" Andie said with a smirk. "You inherited millions after they dropped your parents' case."

The mention of her real name obviously made Bela very uncomfortable. "How did you-"

"Doesn't matter." Dean interrupted her.

Bela sighed and took a deep breath before looking towards Dean and Andie with tear filled eyes and smirk on her face. "They were lovely people. And I killed them. And I got rich. And I can't be bothered to give a damn. Just like I don't care what happens to you."

Dean pushed his arm into her throat and shoved her up against the door; his gun to her throat. "You make me sick."

"Likewise." Bela muttered.

Pushing off her; Dean aimed his gun to her forehead. She closed her eyes; awaiting her end. But something caught Dean's eye above the door; something that made him hesitate.

"Dean; do it." Andie told him when she saw him pause. "Shoot her."

"She ain't worth it." Dean muttered, dropping his gun.

"What?!" Andie screamed. "Screw that; I'll do it!" she aimed her own gun at Bela.

"Andie; let's go." He grabbed her under the arm; shoved Bela out of the way and pushed Andie out the door.

"Dammit; Dean; let me go!" Andie screamed as he pushed her down the hall. "What is the matter with you?!"

"Andie; we don't need to kill her." Dean told her.

Andie looked like she'd been slapped in the face. "Have you been drinking bong water?!" She screeched. "Dean if it wasn't for that damn family magic thing that's protecting me I'd be dead; she shot me! She wanted me dead!"

"Andie; she's made a deal!" Dean yelled at her as they neared the Impala.

"What?!" Andie yelled.

Dean sighed. "There was Devil's Shoestring above her door. It keeps Hellhounds away. For awhile, at least." He explained. "She sold her soul like I did. There's no point in killin' her."

"Fine." Andie calmed herself a little. "I'll do it; happily." She loaded her gun, turned on her heel and headed back inside.

"Andie; no." Dean grabbed her arm and twisted it so she had to turn back to him. "Look; if she's putting up Devil's Shoestring; she's only got days left; _maybe_ a week. Have you ever seen what Hellhounds can do?"

Andie sighed. "No." She admitted.

"I have." Dean told her. "And believe me; what they'll do to her is way worse than anything we could do."

"But…" Andie shrugged. "How do I get my revenge?"

Dean laughed a little. "We'll figure something out." He held open the car door for her. "Come on; let's get going."

**xxx**

Sam took Cassidy back to his motel room and let her sleep in his bed as he inspected Doc Benton's journal. He found what appeared to be the 'recipe' for his immortality and was mulling over it when Cassidy stirred to consciousness. Sam jumped to his feet and hurried to her side. "Cass? It's me; Sam. You're ok." He assured her as she opened her eyes.

Cassidy winced as she moved her arm; Sam had wrapped it in a bandage he'd found in the bathroom's First Aid Kit. "He cut something out of my arm." She remembered

"Probably a muscle or something," Sam offered as he handed her a glass of water he'd sat on the nightstand. "You're lucky he wasn't short a vital organ."

"Yeah; lucky." Cassidy scoffed as she drank some water. "Sam; if you hadn't been there I don't know what would've happened." She admitted. "I mean; I thought I could take him. I shot him. But he-he didn't die. And then he drugged me and next thing I knew he was slicing my arm." She leant back against the pillows. "Then I passed out and the next them I remember is you waking me up."

"Well; thank God you're better at giving directions." Sam smirked. "Found the cabin with no trouble."

Cass smiled tiredly. "Where's Andie?"

Sam paused, his mouth open slightly, unsure of what to say. "She'll be back soon." He replied eventually.

"You're a crappy liar, Sam." Cass grinned as she rolled onto her side. "You're lucky you're pretty." Sam flushed. Cassidy noticed the book laying open on the table. "Is that Doc Benton's?" she asked, nodding at it.

"Yeah," Sam said. "Thought it might be useful."

"For Dean?" Cass raised her eyebrows. "You're considering becoming like the creep to save your brother?"

"It's better than him dying." Sam told her as he got to his feet.

"You think so?" Cass retorted. "What he is...it may as well be death. He's not living; that's for sure."

"Hey, I just saved your life," Sam reminded her haughtily. "Would you just lay off?"

"Oh my God; Samuel Winchester: coming alive! I love it!" She giggled and settled back in her pillows.

Sam was unable not to smirk at her. His phone rang from the nightstand giving so he went to answer it. The caller ID read 'Dean'. "Dean?" He answered.

"Yeah." His brother's aggravated voice replied.

"Did you get the colt?" Sam asked hopefully.

"What do you think?" Dean snapped back.

"So does that mean Bela is…"

"No; no. She deserves to die a dozen times over – but I couldn't do it." Dean replied.

Sam sighed. "Dean…"

"I'm really screwed, Sammy." Dean admitted fearfully.

"No, you're just-"

"You were right, y'know," Dean cut in. "Bela was a goose chase…colt's gone…and this time I'm really screwed, Sam."

"Maybe not." Sam said. "I tracked down Benton's cabin."

"Are you ok? Was he there?" Dean asked immediately.

"Yeah," Sam replied.

"Did you kill him?"

"No." Sam admitted.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Dean snapped.

"Please; just listen for a second." Sam told him. "When I got there I found a dead body. And Cassidy."

"Cassidy?" Dean repeated.

"Cass? What about her? Is she ok?" Andie's voice echoed over the phone line.

"She's fine; I got her out." Sam said quickly. "I also got his workbook. It has the formula."

"What, the 'live forever' formula?" Dean asked. "Great; so lemme guess, I gotta drink blood outta a baby's skull?"

"No," Sam told him happily. "That's the thing. It's not black magic. There's no blood sacrifice or anything…it's just science, Dean." He sat himself at the table in front of the journal. "Very, extremely weird science but-"

"Wait, wait," Dean interrupted. "What are you saying? You think…"

"Dean; I think it might be do-able." Sam told him. "I mean, I know we've hit some walls but this formula; I think it might be it. This could save you."

"Ok; so this formula…" Dean said after a pause.

"Right, right, well we're not in the clear yet," Sam admitted. "There are still things I don't-" he was cut off as an arm grabbed him from behind and covered his mouth with a cloth. He dropped his phone and tried to fight off the attacker. He could see Cassidy in bed over the assailant's arm and she was quite obviously unconscious. Sam's vision went blurry and the next thing he knew; he was out cold.

**xxx**

When Sam awoke some time later, he knew he was back in that cabin. He was strapped down on a table and his eyes were taped wide open. His vision was still blurry but he could make out Doc Benton hovering over him, telling him that he could relax. Sam's mind worried for Cassidy. Had Benton left her at the hotel? He assumed no; why would he? Two perfectly health young bodies full of organs to harvest? He wouldn't pass that up.

"It's all gonna be ok," Benton said in a growly voice to Sam. "Ain't nothing gonna happen here that you got to worry about, Sammy." He moved away and began fiddling with his instruments. "And you're chances of coming out of this procedure alive are very, very high."

"How do know my name?" Sam asked; trying to wrestle his arms out of the straps that tied them down.

"Oh…" Benton breathed. "I know…" He moved back into Sam's view. "You think I'm some kinda monster, don't you? Well…I gotta tell you I have _never_…done one thing that I did not have to do. This whole eternal life thing is very...high maintenance." He leant over Sam. "Something goes bad, like my eyes here?" He ran his fingers around his right eye socket; the eyeball was cloudy and bloodshot – a side effect of Sam running him over. "You gotta replace 'em." He ran his hand over Sam's forehead.

"Leave him alone!" Cassidy's voice rang out. "You sonuvabitch; leave him alone!"

"Quiet; angel." Benton purred to her. "I'll be with you…soon." He looked back down at Sam. "She cares for you…a woman's heart…that is a fine specimen. My heart…well, it was damaged…when you're father cut it out." He mimicked a cutting action into Sam's chest. "That? That was very...inconvenient." He turned away again. "So...I'm sure that you can understand _all_ the joy I felt when I read _all _about myself in his little journal." Benton appeared over Sam again now holding John Winchester's journal open on the page about himself. "Kinda makes this whole thing…feel like a family reunion, don't it?" He put the journal and picked up one of his tools; a rusted silver scoop; like an ice-cream scoop. He held it over Sam's head. "I guess it's about time we get this thing started." He leant over Sam and lowered the scoop into his eyelid.

"No!" Sam screamed in pain as the implement jabbed him in the eye.

Three loud gunshots rang out through the cabin. Benton dropped the scoop and stumbled away from Sam. But he didn't fall. He turned around to see Dean and Andie standing before him; both with guns aimed at his chest. "Shoot all you want." Ben shrugged with a smirk.

Dean shot two more bullets into the Doc; again he didn't fall. He grabbed Dean's gun wielding hands and tossed him back into a cabinet of medical tools. Andie was quick to pistol whip Benton with her gun but he grabbed her arm and twisted it around her back; shoving her heavily to the floor. Doc Benton went over to Dean and knelt down to him; smirking and chuckling inanely. That was until Dean stabbed him through the heart with a dagger.

"A knife?" Doc Benton chuckled as he straightened up. "What part of 'immortality' don't you understand?" He gestured to his bleeding chest. "Pity about the heart though…it was a brand new one." he added as Andie crawled beside Dean.

"Good," Dean smirked. "Should be pumping nice and strong."

"Sending this stuff," Andie pulled a bottle of Chloroform out of her jacket pocket. "All around your body."

For the first time, Benton's smile was wiped off his face. He began to look fatigued and worried; stumbling unsteadily on the spot. He shook his head as he looked at the bottle.

"See, we picked up your little bottle upstairs," Dean explained. "And dipped the knife in it." The Doc moaned as he fell to his knees and collapsed to the floor. "Stupid immortal creep." Dean mumbled.

"Dean?" Sam's voice called cautiously.

"Sammy." Dean got to his feet.

"Cass!" Andie hollered as she spotted her friend tied to a table in the room adjacent from Sam's.

"Took your damn time." Cassidy grinned as Andie's face appeared above her.

"Had better things to do." Andie smiled as she unstrapped her friend. "Are you alright?" she pulled her up slowly so she was sitting.

"Yeah; he said he'd take out Sam's eye first; claimed he wanted to 'see just how pretty my organs were'." Cass shuddered. "Is he ok? Sam?"

Andie turned and saw Dean unbuckling his brother. She took Cass's hand and the pair of them walked in to the brothers. "You alright, Sam?" Andie asked him.

"Yeah," He answered; shrugging himself off. "You?" he nodded at Cass.

"Peachy." Cass smiled.

"Hate to break this up; but what are we gonna do with him?" Dean asked; nodding down at the immobile Doc Benton.

Andie glanced at the shackles Sam had just broken free of. "I got an idea…" She smirked.

It took all four of them only about five minutes to get the Doc up onto the table and strapped down tight. Dean flicked the light above him on and off a few times to wake him from his drugged daze.

"Oh; hiya, Doc!" Dean greeted him chirpily as he opened his eyes. "Wakey, wakey eggs 'n' bakey." He added.

Doc Benton drew in a ragged breath. "Please…" he said slowly.

"Please what?" Dean snapped. "You been killin' poor bastards for over a hundred and fifty years and now you got a request? Shut up."

"You don't understand," Benton continued. "I can help you; I know what you need…"

"We might have to cut him up into little bits," Dean said to Andie, Sam and Cass as he played with the Doc's tools. "This immortality thing's a real bitch."

"I can read the formula for you." Doc Benton suggested. "You know...immortality...forever young...never dying…"

"Dean…" Sam suddenly spoke up; apprehension at killing the Doc evident on his face.

"Sam?" Dean looked up at his brother who motioned them to go out into the other room. All four of them moved out of the Doc's earshot. "What?" Dean asked Sam.

Sam looked to Doc Benton and shrugged. "Look...we're talking Hell in three weeks or needing a new pancreas in like a century."

"Yeah; well you can't exactly get those at a Kwik-E-Mart." Dean snapped.

"It's not perfect," Sam conceded. "But it buys us more time to think of something better. We just need time, Dean, I mean…please. Please just think about it."

Dean sighed, looked back at Doc Benton, and slowly shook his head. "No." he said.

"Don't you wanna live?" Andie spoke up.

"What he is ain't living." Dean said to her.

Cassidy opened her mouth to speak. "Can I just-"

"No," Dean silence her. "First of all? You're new; ya don't get a say. Second of-"

"Lemme stop ya right there," Cass cut in. "I'm with _you_ on this one." She said to Dean.

"What?" Andie stared at her.

"He looks human," Cassidy nodded at the Doc. "But he lost his humanity years ago. I don't blame you; I'd rather die than become _that_."

"Oh, come on." Sam scoffed. "This is the only-"

"No, Sam." Dean said firmly. "This is simple.

"Simple?" Andie repeated.

"To me it is." Dean continued. "It's black or white, ok? Human not human." He stepped away from them and headed back to Benton. "Ya see what the Doc is...is a monster." He sighed as he took out the chloroform bottle out and drenched a cloth in it. "I can't do it. I would rather go to Hell."

"You don't understand, I can _help you_." Benton growled as he pulled at his restraints.

Dean silenced him by holding the cloth over his mouth. "Now, I'm gonna take care of him." He said to his brother and Andie. "You can either help me or not; it's up to you."

They did help; all four of them carried an unconscious Doc Benton outside and set about digging a large hole to bury him in. It took the better part of the evening but all four of them managed to dig a hole deep enough. Andie was able to make the job easier using her power to shift large portions of dirt out of the way. Dean and Cass piled Doc Benton into an old refrigerator and locked a chain around it. Andie telekinetically lowered the box into the hole and Dean tossed the Doc's workbook in after him.

"No!!" The Doctor's muffled voice began yelling from inside the fridge. "Don't be stupid! I can help you!"

"Enjoy forever in there, Doc." Dean mumbled.

"I can save you! I can save you!" The Doc kept crying out as Dean and Sam started shoveling dirt back into the hole.

Cassidy went over and stood beside Andie who was watching the boys from underneath an old shed. "Hey," Cass said as she arrived beside her. "Why don't you help 'em?" She jeered her head at the Winchesters. "We could all get outta here."

Andie shook her head. "I think they need to do this." She replied. "Closure, maybe?" she shrugged. "Hey; do you think you could cover for me for about an hour?" she asked her friend as she backed out of the shed.

"Where are you going?" Cass asked.

"To see a bitch about a bike." Andie smirked.

**xxx**


	54. Chapter 54: Run, Bitch, Run

**CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR**

**Day 347**

'Run, Bitch, Run'

Andie took Sam's rental car and travelled right back to Bela's hotel room. She didn't intend to kill her; she just wanted answers. Answers she knew she deserved. She arrived at the quiet, dimly lit motel and went straight up to Bela's room. She didn't even bother knocking; she just let herself in. Bela wasn't in sight; but Andie knew she was there somewhere.

"Come on out, Bela," Andie said witheringly. "Believe it or not; I'm not here to kill you." A shadow appeared to Andie's left. She whirled and saw Bela step out of the bathroom with a gun to Andie's head.

"Then why bother coming?" Bela asked. "Where's Dean? I assume he's nearby."

"He doesn't know I'm here." Andie admitted, folding her arms. "And he's not going to know."

"You said you're not here to kill me," Bela repeated Andie's words. "So why are you here? If you'd shot _me_ I'd make damn sure _you_ weren't still standing."

"You just had to stick your nose-job where it wasn't wanted; didn't ya?" Andie quipped bitterly. "I wanna know why, Bela. I wanna know why you tried to kill me. And spare me the cryptic crap; I want the truth and I want it now."

Bela sighed. "If I told you the truth; you most certainly _would_ kill me." She said; unable to hide the worry on her face.

"There's no sense in killing you, Bela. You're going to die anyway." Andie smirked. "See, Dean and I dug a little deeper into your past. Turns out your parents died ten years ago tonight, right? Which would make midnight the time to pay your fee – or soul; as it turns out."

"How did you know?" Bela asked in almost a whisper.

Andie pointed over her shoulder towards the top of the doorway. "Devil's Shoestring. Apparently it keeps Hellhounds away."

Bela lowered her gun and swallowed hard. "You'll never understand." She said.

"I don't want to _understand_." Andie corrected her. "I want to know _why_!" she snapped. "I bled for over a week from that bullet! Then I almost died because you injected me with some demonic drug that sent me to a dream world! And on top of all that; you stole my bike! I wanna know why!" Andie was quivering with anger; but she couldn't help it. Bela had two hours left before midnight; no way was she going to let her die without knowing the truth. "Tell me!"

"She told me to." Bela answered tearfully.

"Who?!" Andie ordered.

"Her name is Lilith." Bela continued. "She holds my contract. Dean's, too. She says she holds every contract. She told me if I killed you she'd let me out of my deal."

"Lilith." Andie spat the name out like bile. "Why would she want me dead?"

Bela shrugged. "I don't know. All she said was the colt would be the only thing that could kill you." She gave a wry smile. "Obviously she was wrong. I sold the gun the day after I shot you. Believe me; I thought you were dead."

Andie lost her voice for a few moments. She knew why Lilith wanted her dead; it was that damn family blood thing Dale was talking about. This child, this daughter, Andie was 'destined' to have was going to be an extremely powerful force of good; someone Lilith and all her buddies weren't all too keen on being born. So killing Andie would prevent that. But since no demons could kill her thanks to the protection her family's blood gave her; the colt was their only shot. And it had failed. Andie wondered where that left her now? If the demons couldn't kill her; would they leave her alone? Would it matter? Even if they did; she'd never stop hunting. Andie suddenly became aware that she hadn't spoken in several minutes. "What did you do with my stuff?" she asked Bela. "My bike."

"Well, the bike was stripped. I sold it for parts." Bela admitted. "Bought me this jacket; in fact." She gestured to the tailored, tan trench coat she was wearing.

Andie's heart dropped. She loved that bike. "You bitch." She growled.

"Don't judge me too soon." Bela warned her as she reached over and opened her cupboard. "I kept this." She pulled out Andie's shoulder bag.

"My bag." Andie breathed, yanking it from Bela's grasp immediately. She sat it on the bed and quickly rifled through it. Her favourite jeans were still there, a few photos, her mother's locket and, most importantly to Andie, her mother's journal. She glared up at Bela with furious tears forming in her eyes. "Why did you keep these?"

Bela shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I felt guilty...maybe no one offered me the right price."

Andie winced. "Y'know, Bela, I think I have a theory as to why you're such a bitch." She sneered.

"I'm all ears." Bela squared her jaw.

"Well, see it's because you developed early and started giving it away when you were twelve but now you can't stand to look at yourself in the mirror because all you see is a filthy whore." Andie began. "So you steal things and piss people off because you want to avoid the inevitable realization that once your body's used up by age 26 you're going to be a worn-out sack of crap that even a jailed criminal won't touch; how's that? Am I in the ball park?"

Bela smirked. "You think you're so clever." She said with tear-filled eyes. "You think you're invincible. Truth is; Andrea, you're not. You have a weakness; just like everybody else. And _you're_ weakness has only three weeks left to live." She took a step towards Andie. "Tell me; will you be able to be this patronizing the day after Dean follows me to Hell?"

Andie shouldered her bag; trying to ignore as much of Bela's taunts as she could as well as suppress the urge to toss her skanky ass out the window. She had to remind herself of Bela's fate. "The Hellhounds are coming; they'll do more harm to you than I could ever hope to." She turned and started to leave.

"Andie; wait." Bela called after her. "I'm sorry for what I said. I need help."

"You lost your chance to ask when you shot me." Andie answered without turning around. "But you know what the kicker for you is? If you'd asked me before any of this happened," She turned and looked Bela in the eye. "I _would've_ helped you." She held her gaze for a second more before yanking open the motel door and storming out, not feeling at all as accomplished as she'd hoped.

**xxx**

Across town, Sam was dropping Cassidy back at her motel. He'd pulled the Impala right up beside her car and handed over her keys that he'd been keeping safe for her. The pair got out of the car and walked over to Cassidy's truck; silent but comfortable.

"I owe you one." Cassidy said to Sam as she placed a hand on her truck's bonnet.

"Call it even," Sam said. "Don't think saving you counts if you get kidnapped again an hour later." He smiled.

"Aw, Samuel." Cassidy brushed her jagged fringe behind her ear. "Can't even take a compliment; a true hero."

"Nah," Sam shook his head and leant back against Cass's truck. "I'm no hero."

"Fine." Cass closed her eyes and leant next to Sam. "You're _my_ hero; will you take that accolade?"

Sam chuckled and shrugged.

"Sam; I don't think you understand how rare it is for me to compliment somebody." Cassidy told him, slightly put off at his blasé reaction. "The only other person I've given one to was Andie and that's because she had me in a headlock." She held her hands up in the air. "And yet here we are; gorgeous night, just buried a freak who'd been killing humans for organs for over a century, I tell you you're my hero and I'll I get's a chuckle and a smile?" She leant up of her car and stood in front of Sam. "Well, that's just typical of a guy, isn't it? One of the many defects of your kind. A girl's honest and all she gets is a vague response that she's even been heard. Y'know; this is _exactly_ the reason I considered becoming a lesbian-" Sam cut her off mid-sentence with a full and deep kiss on her mouth. Cass was startled; but quickly fell into his embrace and kissed him back.

"You talk too much." Sam told her with a smile when he pulled away from her just enough so their noses were touching.

"I've been told." Cassidy replied; returning the smile. He had to hold her to him firmly; she was so short she had to stand on her tip-toes to kiss Sam and he had to lean down. "But why shut up if this is how it ends?"

Sam chuckled. "Touché." He mumbled before kissing her again.

**xxx**

Andie returned Sam's rental car and took a cab back to the motel. When she arrived; the Impala was gone so she was surprised to see Dean inside in front of the TV swigging on a beer.

"Hey; where's Sam?" She asked as she came in.

"Dropping Cassidy off." He told her. "She said to tell you bye."

Andie paused. "Did she say that? Did she actually say 'bye'?" she asked.

Dean looked confused. "What?"

"What _exactly_ did she say?" Andie asked him. "Bye? Goodbye? See ya?"

"She said '_tell Andie I said bye_.'" Dean remembered. "Why?"

"_Bye _means she's okay but she's leaving town." Andie told him; feeling relieved. "FYI; should she say Sayonara it means she's in trouble." She tapped the side of her nose with her finger and pointed at Dean. She took off her shoulder bag and sat on the couch beside him.

"So what did Bela have to say?" Dean asked with a wry grin.

Andie shot him a look. "Cass told you?"

"Well, she said you were going to see a bitch about a bike." Dean shrugged. "Who else would it be?"

"She was as useless as before," Andie told him; annoyed with herself for telling him another lie. "But she did give me this back." She showed Dean her bag. "Everything's still here." She took out her mother's journal and handed it to Dean. "I wonder why she didn't sell that."

"Oh, that reminds me," Dean said as he flicked through the pages of the journal. "As soon as Sam gets back we're heading outta here. When we saw Bela she reached into my pocket; grabbed the hotel receipt; she wants to know where we're staying."

"Why?" Andie asked; confused that he hadn't shared this information with her before.

"I dunno; to come back and kill us?" Dean rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I packed your crap for ya."

Andie raised her eyebrows. "You packed for me? You've never done that before…"

"First time for everything," he shrugged as he stumbled upon an old photo of teenage Andie, in the arms of another man who wore a lot of black leather, hidden in the pages of the journal. "Who's this guy?" Dean showed her the photo.

"Oh; that's Joey!" Andie exclaimed; snatching the photo.

"And who is, Joey?" Dean asked. "Looks like a tool." He nodded purposefully.

"Yeah, pretty much." Andie confirmed. "He's a mistake I made in Australia when I was fourteen...and sixteen…and nineteen." She handed the photo back to Dean. "Destroy this."

"Gladly." Dean scrunched it up and tossed it aside.

"Dean, look, I know this whole Doc Benton thing was a bit whacko," Andie started. "But it's the closest thing to a solution we've been able to find all year. Why were you so against it…?"

"Andie; there'll be another way." Dean assured her.

"I know that." Andie said confidently. "I promised you I'd save you and that's what I'm gonna do but Dean...Bela couldn't find a way out and she had _ten_ years."

"She wasn't looking for a way out." Dean reminded Andie. "Not for the whole decade, anyway." He took another swig of beer. "Anyway; my situation is different, right? We got you and Sammy and Bobby. Hell, even Cassidy. It's different. Totally different."

"Totally different." Andie nodded.

Dean sighed. "It's not different at all, is it?" he asked woefully.

"Not unless different means the same." Andie told him as she put a comforting arm around his shoulders. "Don't stress yet, Dean." She kissed his cheek warmly. "We still got time. And, like I said, I'll figure out a way." She smiled at him.

"Why are you so good to me?" He asked her with a smirk.

She shrugged. "I'm your girl." She grinned.

Dean grinned, leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. "Thank you." He whispered.

Their moment was interrupted as Sam came back into the motel room with a wide grin on his face and slightly tousled hair. "Hey." He greeted them dreamily.

"What happened to you?" Andie asked as she watched him.

Dean chuckled. "He got lucky." He raised his beer to his brother. "At's ma'boy!"

"Cass?" Andie gaped at Sam. "You had sex with Cass?!"

"No, no." Sam shook his head as he slumped onto his bed. "We just made out a little. Well, a lot." He giggled.

"Made out?" Andie repeated. "But she's engaged to Frank – she's not engaged to Frank, is she?" Andie realized in the same breath. "Oh, that bitch! She got me again." She yelped, gripping her hand into a fist.

"Well, this is all just enrapturing, really." Dean got to his feet. "But we gotta get outta here before Bela makes a move."

The three of them took their bags to the Impala and then set up some blow up dolls Dean found at an adult sex shop – of which he told Andie he went into to ask for directions to get out of there – in their beds to make them look like they were sleeping. They were well out of town by 11:55 when Dean got out his cell phone and called the motel room they'd just left.

"Hiya Bela!" Dean said when she answered. "Here's a little fun fact you might not know. I felt your hand in my pocket when you swiped that motel receipt."

"You don't understand." Bela said hurriedly.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I understand perfectly." Dean told her. "See, I noticed something interesting when I was at your motel room; the Devil's Shoestring above your door. There's only one reason for that; to keep the Hellhounds at bay. So I took a little look at your parent's obit; found out they died ten years ago tonight. You didn't kill them; a demon did your dirty work. You made a deal, didn't ya Bela? And it's come due."

From the back seat, Andie swallowed hard. If Bela really wanted to get back at her now was her chance; she could tell Dean that Andie knew all this and didn't tell him. She wasn't sure he'd forgive her for that.

"Is that why you stole the colt, huh?" Dean continued. "Try to wiggled outta your deal? Our gun for your soul?"

"Yes." Bela admitted; her voice breaking.

"But stealin' the colt wasn't quite enough, I'm guessing." Dean said.

"They changed the deal." Bela told him; tears creeping into her eyes. "They wanted me to kill Andie. I thought I had; they didn't tell me she was still alive. Then they changed it again; wanted me to kill Sam."

"Really? Wow." Dean answered sarcastically. "Demons untrustworthy?" he scoffed. "Shocker." He looked at the clock on the dashboard. "That's kinda a tight deadline, too. What is it…oh, look at that. Almost midnight.

"Dean, listen, I need help." She started sobbing into the phone.

"Sweetheart; we are weeks past help." He replied firmly.

"I know I don't deserve it…" She continued tearfully.

"You know what, you're right you don't but you know what the bitch of the bunch is?" Dean told her. "If you had just _come _to us sooner and _asked_ for help we probably coulda taken the colt and saved you."

"I know," Bela cried. "And saved yourself. I know about your deal, Dean."

"And who told you that?" Dean asked her, his eyes flickering momentarily into his rearview mirror at Andie.

"The demon that holds it," Bela said. "She holds mine, too. She says she holds every deal. Her name is Lilith."

"Lilith?" Dean repeated, glancing over at Sam. "Why should I believe you?"

"You shouldn't," Bela admitted. "But it's the truth."

"This can't help you, Bela." Dean informed her. "Not now. Why are you telling me this?"

Bela paused before answering. "Because just maybe you, Sam and Andie can kill the bitch."

Dean clenched his jaw. "I'll see you in Hell." He told her before hanging up his cell.

**xxx**

**Day 355**

Andie was toweling herself off after a shower when her cell phone started to ring. She didn't go far without it; not even to the bathroom. She picked it up off the sink and saw the caller ID read 'Dale'. Wondering why her old family friend would be calling, she answered. "Dale? What's up? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Andie." He answered; a definite happiness in his voice. "I'm so glad I got through to you; I've been calling for a day and a half."

"Calling for what?" She asked as she leant the phone between her ear and her shoulder and yanked her clothes on. "Are you sure you're alright? You sound a little funny."

"Andie; just shut up and listen to me." Dale silenced her.

Andie sat on the edge of the bathtub and listened carefully to everything Dale said. When she hung up the phone; she realizes she's been tense for the whole conversation. She almost didn't believe what Dale had told. Could he have done it? Could that be the solution? She quickly hurried out of the bathroom into their motel room and found Dean searching through his bag.

"Morgan, you seen my cell?" He asked her as she came into the room.

"Dean; I have an idea." Andie said excitedly.

Dean turned to her looking puzzled. "To find my cell?"

"Well; it's not technically _my_ idea, it was Dale's." She continued hurriedly.

"Dale has an idea to find my cell?" Dean looked even more confused.

Andie didn't seem to be listening to him even though she was looking him dead in the eyes. "He just called me. But I think he's onto something. I mean, this could be the way!" she grinned and practically jumped up and down on the spot.

"Morgan; slow down." Dean told her as he realized they were most definitely not talking about his cell phone. Andie was practically busting with excitement; he'd never seen her so thrilled. "The way to what?"

"To save you." She said, grinning.

A mental red flag immediately went up in Dean's mind. "If it's anything like you're plan to sell your own soul; I don't wanna hear it, Andie." He shook his head.

"No; actually it's totally different." Andie assured him. "And if it doesn't work then we're no worse off than we are now."

"Sounds great," Dean admitted. "What is it?"

Andie held her hands out to her sides. "Marry me." She shrugged.

**xxx**


	55. Chapter 55: Crazy Enough To Work

**CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE**

**Day 355**

'Crazy Enough To Work'

Dean sank heavily into the bed, his eyes glued to Andie who was grinning and still had her hands out at her sides. "Did you just propose to me? The guy's s'posed to do that!"

"Dean; stop freaking out, alright?" Andie told him as she approached him slowly.

"You want us to get married?" Dean felt his heartbeat quicken to a very unnatural pace. "Andie; come on we've barely been dating four months. And technically we've never even been on a date!"

Andie rolled her eyes; that wasn't the reason she was asking him. "Look; Dale said he's been doing some research and a marriage is a Holy Union. Something he's pretty sure demons can't break up."

Dean's head was spinning. "Andie...people get married all the time and still get killed by demons."

"Yeah; but this is different. Your contract is on your soul." Andie explained, remembering everything Dale had said to her. "You pledged your soul to Lilith to save Sam. But if we get married; I'd be pledging my soul to you and you'd be pledging your soul to me. So theoretically I would _own_ your soul and the Hellhounds couldn't touch it." She slumped beside him on the bed.

"Theoretically?" Dean asked with raised eyebrows.

"Look; it might be a long shot." Andie admitted honestly. "But that's all we got. And I refuse to let you go without having tried _every_ _possible way_ to get you out of this."

Dean scoffed a little smile. He understood where she was coming from but that didn't make it any less terrifying or unbelievable crazy. "Can we do this?" he asked.

"Dale's in Pennsburg, two towns over; about a half a day's drive." Andie informed Dean. "He called it mini-Vegas, said they have a twenty-four hour wedding chapels that don't ask for birth certificates. We have him, Sam and Bobby as witnesses. Hell; even Cass might show up. Plus he found these old vows all about pledging your soul and whatever." She gently put her hand on Dean's back. "Yes; we can do this. If it doesn't work...then at least we tried."

"What if it does work?" Dean asked her with raised eyebrows.

Andie shrugged. "We get an annulment first thing Monday morning," She said easily. "Because number one; neither of us _wanna_ be married. Number two; half of the marriages these days end in divorce and number three; every bitter married couple I've seen on _Dr Phil_ claim everything changed after they got hitched." She shrugged again. "We're doing this to save your life...though we probably shouldn't tell the priest that."

"You're really serious?" Dean smiled.

"Yes! Dean; this could save you." Andie almost laughed. "It doesn't involve blood or sacrifices or even summoning Ruby; it's just a wedding. The whole thing will be over in, like, twenty minutes." She shrugged. "And it could really save you."

"And we can really just get it annulled?" Dean asked.

"Well; Dale looked into that and apparently you need grounds to get one but our best bet is making like one of us deceived the other into marriage by telling them something that; if they knew of prior to the wedding; they would never have consented to the actual ceremony." Andie recited.

Dean furrowed his brow. "Like what?"

"Well; the best bet _there_ is to tell them that you're gay." She shrugged.

"What?" Dean yelped.

"Or _I'm_ gay; we can discuss the specif's later but I know a guy who knows a guy in Vegas so we can get it annulled if it works." Andie assured him. "Please, Dean. Please marry me."

Dean smiled. "Ok." He agreed.

**xxx**

"This could really work." Sam said when he arrived back. He'd just heard of his brother's engagement. Now he was researching online and finding a lot of corroborating evidence to what Dale had told Andie. "With the right wording; I think this could really work."

"Did you get a hold of Bobby?" Andie asked Dean.

"Yeah; said he'd meet us in Pennsburg." Dean replied. "Also said he'd do a little digging of his own on this whole marriage thing." He flopped onto the couch beside Andie. "This is so weird; we're engaged now." He said to her.

"I know, right?" Andie agreed, slapping him a high five.

"I'm not finding any holes in this plan." Sam spoke up from his computer.

"Maybe that's cos there _aren't_ any." Andie suggested. "I told you I'd figure out a way to save Dean." She smirked smugly.

"It was Dale's idea." Dean reminded her.

"Well, I'm sure if I talked to him he'd give me credit." Andie retorted.

Sam got to his feet and folded his arms. "This could really work…" he said again slowly.

"Why are you so shocked?" Andie asked him.

"Andie; we've been trying for a year to get Dean outta this." Sam explained. "Now ten days out the solution just falls into our laps?"

"Hardly falls," Andie replied. "Dale said he's been searching for a couple of weeks; didn't want to call me until he was sure it was concrete. And it is."

"How far away is Pennsburg?" Dean asked.

"Half a day's drive or so." Andie replied.

"Well, what are we waitin, for?" Dean stood up and held out his arms. "Let's get me married!"

**xxx**

Andie fell asleep in the back of the Impala as Dean drove the three of them to Pennsburg. Sam, who had been searching on his computer for most of the drive decided to conserve the remaining battery and put it away. He glanced at his brother who was thumbing his fingers to the beat of the radio as they drove along.

"Dean," Sam spoke up. "What if this doesn't work?"

"Dude, seriously?" Dean gave him a weird look. "Sammy; you've been checking out this marriage caper all day and haven't found anything against it, right?"

"Well, yeah," Sam conceded. "But that doesn't mean it's going to work."

"Just because you can't _find_ any holes in this plan doesn't automatically mean there are some." Dean countered. "Why can't you just accept that we've found the answer?"

Sam sighed. "I dunno… I guess…" he shrugged. "I dunno."

Dean glanced furtively at his brother but didn't say anything else. He, too, had reservations about this but like Andie said, it was a shot. And that was better than nothing. Especially so close to the end.

**xxx**

They arrived in Pennsburg two hours later to the _Breakfast In Bed_ motel just off the main street. Dale had pre-booked them a room and was waiting for them when they got there. After some quick introductions, Dale got straight to the point and began explaining what he'd discovered.

"The lore on a marriage dates back for centuries; even before the word 'wedding' was invented." Dale explained. "And in the beginning the whole purpose was to combine souls." He shrugged. "This is what we're after, isn't it?" he grinned.

"Don't mean to be pedantic," Dean spoke up. "But we're kinda on a clock here."

"Yeah, how soon can we get this done?" Andie added.

"Well; I talked to the priest; he's got free time tomorrow afternoon; said he's happy to do it then." Dale said. "But there's a few things we need to get sorted first."

"Tomorrow?" Andie and Dean said in unison. "That soon?

"Dean, you just said 'we're on a clock'." Sam reminded him.

"Yeah...but tomorrow…" Dean muttered.

"It's just soon…is all." Andie echoed.

"Well, as you said," Dale pointed at Dean. "We're on a clock."

"Fine, fine." Dean agreed. "What do we need to do?"

"There were a few...fibs...I had to tell to get him to do this." Dale started.

"You mean lies." Andie corrected him. "Like what?"

"Well, for starters, he thinks you've been together for three years, are completely committed and, of course, are _pure_." Dale explained.

"Pure?" Dean raised his eyebrows.

"He means virgins." Andie smirked at him.

Dean laughed out loud. "Come on!"

"Dean, please. It's the only way he'd agree." Dale said witheringly. "If we want this to work this all has to go smoothly, everyone has to be on their game. Andie," he took her by the elbow. "I want you to go to the chapel. They're expecting you. They'll get you sorted with a dress and all."

"Now?" Andie asked wide-eyed.

"Yes!" Dale told her exasperatedly. "We can at least be a _little_ prepared. _The Little White Wedding Chapel_ down the road."

"Oh, quaint." Andie muttered as she headed out the door. "What are you guys going to do?"

"Never you mind." Dale told her.

Dean and Andie shared a confused look but did what Dale said. It had been his idea, after all.

**xxx**

It was late evening when Andie arrived at _The Little White Wedding Chapel_. She was greeted by April, a heavy-set woman in her mid-thirties who seemed absolutely enraptured by everything wedding related. She showed Andie all around the chapel, where she'd get married, where the guests would wait and where she'd get dressed. Andie didn't know a lot of people who could out-talk herself. Cass was one. And now April was the other. April finished the tour by showing Andie into what seemed like the backstage area of a theatre only instead of hundreds of costumes, there were hundreds of wedding dresses. Without bothering to ask her, April estimated Andie's size and dragged a rack of dresses over to her. Then she finally left her alone.

Not one for dresses, Andie just chose the first one in her size that she liked and that was clean. She couldn't remember the last time she wore a dress and she'd definitely never worn anything like this one. She stripped off behind the modesty screen and pulled it on. It was a little snug over her chest, but then again most clothes were. As she smoothed the crinkles out of her dress she heaved a heavy breath. She didn't think she'd ever be wearing a _wedding_ dress. It was one of the more surreal moments in Andie's surreal-moment heavy life.

"Andie Morgan," a familiar voice tutted from behind her. "You're looking more like a woman every time I see ya."

"Cass," Andie grinned as she saw her friend in the reflection of the mirror. "What are you doing here?"

"Sam called; said you were getting married." Cassidy walked into the room and eyed Andie's dress. "Had to see it for myself."

Andie turned around. "You gave Sam you're real number? You never do that." She smiled again. Cass, who was forever changing her hair colour, had this time opted for black with dark blue streaks throughout.

"I know; how awesome's my hair?" Cassidy said, running her hands over her new do. "Wow," She gestured to the dress. "You in a dress...hot...I never thought I'd see the day."

Andie sighed deeply and looked back at her reflection. "Yeah…"

Cass caught site of Andie's eyebrows in the mirror and saw an opportunity. "Oh, lord, you've over-tweezed again. Lemme look," She walked over to Andie, grasped her chin and pulled at the skin above eyes. "Nope, can't be saved."

"This from the woman who once shaved her eyebrows completely off." Andie retorted with a smirk.

"That was you!" Cass yelped. "You shaved them off me in the middle of the night. Thought it was hilarious? Took photos and had them printed on t-shirts?"

Andie laughed. "I'm funny."

Cassidy stood back and checked out the dress again. She lifted up the train of it, which was quite long, and waved it around. "Pretty dress…I'm guessing it doubles as your something old?"

"Well, if not, I'll just use you." Andie quipped back.

"Oh, my side!" Cass faked a laugh and held her middle. "Hey, check me out," Cass knelt down and managed to wrap the train of Andie's dress around her head. "Flying nun!"

"Ok, Cass?" Andie smiled and yanked her dress off her friend's head. "Comedy with the dress will not be tolerated."

"I'm just playing." Cass replied as she got back on her feet.

"Well, don't, ok? There's, like, three hundred dresses back there," She pointed to the racks behind her. "And this was the only one in my size that didn't have weird, _CSI_ type stains on it."

"Well, speaking of," Cass slumped in the comfy chair in the corner. "Do you have something old, new, borrowed and blue?"

Andie shook her head. "Cass, there's no time for that." She said. "I'm getting married tomorrow."Andie grasped her chest. "Oh God, I'm getting married tomorrow…" The reality sort of stab her out of nowhere.

"Stay calm." Cass warned her; eager to ward off any oncoming freakouts. "No big deal, remember? No big deal." She smiled and tried to look relaxed. "This is meant to be fun. It's just Dean, right?"

"Yeah," Andie breathed slowly, in and out. "Yeah, it's just Dean…"

"_You're getting married in the morning_…" Cass started singing the _My Fair Lady_ tune. "_Ding dong, the bells are gonna chime_!" She started skipping around Andie and clapping. "_Pull out the stopper! Let's have a whopper! And get me to the church on time!"_

**xxx**


	56. Chapter 56: Day Of Days

**CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX**

**Day 356**

'Day Of Days'

The next morning, Dean and Andie had to meet with Father Joe, the priest who would be performing the ceremony. Andie likened his appearance to that of a happy, little Keebler elf but instead of white hair, he had no hair. He was a very nice man, more thrilled about weddings than April. Dale had explained to Andie and Dean the night before that Father Joe had insisted on meeting them beforehand just to make sure they were as committed to each other as he'd told him they were.

"Just a formality, as I'm sure you can understand," Father Joe was saying as he showed them into the chapel. "Marriage is such a sacred path in life, we like to make sure our couples are as dedicated to the cause as much as we are."

"Oh, well, no problems there." Dean grinned at him and slung his arm over Andie's shoulder. "We are dedicated. I mean, look it up in the dictionary and you'll see a picture of us?" He grinned widely as did Andie.

"Well, that's wonderful." Father Joe said, clasping his hands together. "You seem very in love. I'm so honored you chose our chapel for this momentous day." He smiled. "May I inquire as to why you are so quick to get married? I mean, Dale phoned me only yesterday…"

"Why wait?" Andie spoke up. "Love is love, right? Can't wait to start my life with this one." She gave the Father a cheesy grin and hugged Dean around the waist.

"Aw, isn't she the best?" Dean squeezed Andie around the neck and kissed the top of her head.

"Of course." The Father smiled and looked between them, his eyes almost misting over. "Such a wonderful time." He turned around and led them further into the chapel. "Let me show you where everything will take place…"

"Can you believe this guy?" Dean muttered into Andie's ear as they walked after the Father.

"I know," Andie agreed. "Whatever he's on, steer clear of it."

"By the way…_love is love_?" Dean raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Where'd you pull that from?"

Andie grinned, slightly embarrassed. "A _Boy George_ song." She mumbled.

Dean stopped in his tracks. "Seriously?"

Andie nodded. "Who cares? It's obviously what he wanted to hear." She smiled.

"Ok," Father Joe said as he stood up on the altar. "This is where I'll be standing. You two will stand in front of me and your guests in those front two rows." Andie glanced at the seating. It was a small chapel, only three rows of chairs with four seats apiece. It wasn't as thought Dean and Andie were going to fill the building. But she politely nodded along as Father Joe continued to explain the ceremony. "Now, Dale has given me some wonderful vows that you shall read before you place the rings on each other's fingers—you do have the rings?"

"Sure thing!" Dean said immediately. "Can't get married without those, right?" He forced a loud laugh.

"Wonderful, wonderful," The Father replied. "Right, so before the exchanging of rings, our couples usually like to say a few vows of their own; I feel it personalizes the ceremony. And, in my opinion, I love hearing what couples come up with." He grinned expectantly at Dean and Andie.

"Well, of course we'll do that, too." Andie smiled. "Why not?"

"Marvelous!" The Father chirped as he made his way down the altar and led Dean and Andie back down the aisle.

"Vows?" Dean whispered into Andie's ear.

"I panicked, he seemed so excited." Andie tried to explain. "And we don't exactly wanna piss off a priest on his own turf, do we?"

"And this," Father Joe said happily as he pulled open the double doors at the back of the room. "Is our newest room. We call it the Party Hard room." He laughed, obviously thrilled with the name.

To keep the man happy, Dean and Andie laughed, too when inside Dean was hitting himself in the head with a meat mallet. "You priests are hilarious." He chuckled.

"That's enough." Andie muttered as she grinned and elbowed him in the ribs in unison.

"This is where you and your guests will celebrate your first moments as husband and wife." Father Joe explained. "Buffet is provided, of course."

"Awesome." Dean grinned again, but this was the first honest one.

"And you'll dance your first dance as husband and wife." The Father seemed ecstatic at this notion. "Just leave your song with April and we'll have it ready."

Andie and Dean glanced at each other again; there was so much they hadn't organized. First song included.

"And, of course, we can rent you a room with the motel next door for consummation." Father Joe said very simply.

Dean raised his eyebrows. "Sorry?"

"Sex." Andie muttered through a fake cough.

"Seriously?" Dean asked with wide eyes. "We actually _have _to have sex?"

Father Joe laughed. "Well, yes. Otherwise the marriage isn't official." He winked at Dean. "You're welcome."

Dean shuffled uncomfortably and clasped his arm tighter around Andie. "We, ah, we have a motel room already."

"Wonderful." Father Joe clapped his hands together again.

"Are we about done here?" Andie asked. "Because, y'know…lots to do."

"Yes, of course." The Father nodded. "I'll see you both this evening. And may I just say, I am so glad you've thrown away that silly superstition of it being bad luck to see each other before the wedding."

Andie laughed. "Yeah, well, we've had enough bad luck."

**xxx**

"I ain't wearin' a suit." Bobby grumbled at Cassidy.

"Oh, don't be such a baby." Cass scolded him. "All I'm asking is that you wear the tie." She held up one of Sam's ties she'd found.

"I ain't a tie wearin' kinda guy, sweetheart." Bobby shook his head.

Cass huffed and turned to Sam who was sorting through his bags. "Help me?" she asked him.

Sam chuckled. "If _you_ can't convince him…" he shrugged. She huffed again and went back to dealing with Bobby. Cass and Sam had met up with Bobby back at the motel while Dean and Andie were meeting with the priest. Cass and Bobby hadn't met before but seemed to get along fine. That was until Cass brought up the issue of wedding attire.

"It's a _wedding_, Bobby!" Cass was yelping. "You gotta dress up just a little. Hell, Andie's in a friggin dress!"

"Fine," Bobby sighed and snatched the tie off Cass. "But I ain't taking off my boots."

"Fine." Cass agreed. She turned to Sam. "So..." She sauntered over to him and leant against the bed frame. "Who you takin' to the wedding?" she smiled sweetly.

"You want me to ask you?" Sam asked with a wry grin.

"You're asking me if I want you to ask me?" Cass replied with a furrowed brow.

Sam shrugged; confused by her change in demeanor. "That a problem?"

"You're supposed to _want_ to ask me." She snapped as she turned on her heel.

"I _do_ want to ask you-" Sam tried to say.

"Oh, now it's just pathetic." Cass headed for the door. "Forget it. Get out." She opened the door to Sam.

"Cass, this is my hotel room." Sam reminded her.

Cass paused awkwardly. "I know." She replied, storming out the door and slamming it behind her.

**xxx**

"Four hours." Dean said to Andie as he checked his watch. "Four hours 'til I make an honest woman outta you."

Andie smiled. "Well, technically _I _proposed to _you_ so you'll be the one turning into an honest woman." She cleared a space for her own things on Cass's dressing table. Cassidy had volunteered her motel room across the road from where the Winchesters were staying as 'Wedding Central'; a place where she and Andie would prep for the ceremony.

"Man." Dean corrected her. "Honest _man_." He was hanging around with Andie until the ceremony. It felt oddly normal to just be chatting with her like he was when in a few hours time they would be husband and wife.

"I know what I said." Andie smirked back at him.

"Y'know I actually think these rings are half-awesome." Dean told her as he looked at the wedding bands in his hand. On the way back from _The Little White Wedding Chapel, _Dean and Andie had stopped at a second-hand jewelry store and picked up a set of wedding rings. _They were identical, sterling silver with a intertwined rope engraved around each band._

"Me too." Andie agreed. "Does it curse the marriage if we used a fake credit card to buy them?"

"Naw." Dean shook his head. "Hey, we still need to sort out a first song." He reminded her. I duuno why you hate my choice-"

"Whitesnake? _Here I Go Again_?" Andie shook her head. "Dean, did you listen to the lyrics. _Like a drifter I was born to walk alone?_" she raised her eyebrows. "Not exactly conducive to the whole wedding slash conjoining souls scenario that we're goin' for here."

"Call it our first marital compromise." Dean suggested hopefully.

"No." Andie said firmly.

"Alright, fine." He grumbled. "But then no Beatles either."

"Fine!" Andie grumbled back. "Hey, what are you gonna say for our vows?" she asked him. She had no idea what she was going to write for them and with the clock counting down she had to think of something.

"Don't worry; I am sorted for vows." Dean told her proudly.

"You're not quoting a song, are you?" Andie asked with narrow eyes.

"Originally, yes." Dean admitted. "But Sammy talked me out of it."

Andie smiled. "Well, good. Great." She answered. _Dean had vows? Dean, who could barely string a compliment together, had come up with wedding vows?_

"You ok?" Dean asked Andie, seeing a worried look in her eye. But before she could answer, they were interrupted by a somewhat unwelcome visitor.

"I'm done with men." Cass hollered as she let herself into the motel room and slammed the door behind her.

"What did he do?" Andie asked as rummaged through her shoulder bag looking for her phone.

"He won't ask me to your damn wedding." Cass snapped, as if it was Andie's fault Sam was a thick-head.

Dean looked confused. "But you're already invited…"

"Oh, Dean," Cass shook her head at him. "So naïve. He's meant to ask me as his date. I mean, hell, we're both in the wedding party! But he won't ask. He goes 'do you want me to ask you?'" She scoffed. "He asked me if I wanted him to ask me! Can you believe that?"

Andie paused. "Oh my god!" she eventually said, mocking Cass's current attitude. "The nerve of him acting as though you _just met._"

"Ok, sarcasm." Cass chided her. "But as I said; I'm done with men. I'm into women now." She walked over to Andie and folded her arms. "Let's make hot lesbian love. Take off your boobs and turn around."

Andie sighed and continued unpacking her bag. "God, I wish that was the first time you'd said that to me." She mumbled

Dean cleared his throat and stood up. "Not to stand in the way of lesbian love – which I'm _all_ for, just so you know – but we kinda gotta get married in a few hours." He tapped his watch with his finger.

"Yeah, so can you please, as a gift to me, dial down the crazy til this evening?" Andie asked her friend.

"I'll take it down to ninety-five percent but that's the best I can do." Cass offered.

"Fine." She conceded. Then she pointed at Dean. "You better go. I just forced a tie onto Bobby and Sam's getting ready. You guys have to be at the chapel before us." She made a high-pitched whistle through her teeth. "Go!"

"Ok, ok." Dean kissed Andie's forehead. "See you at the end of the aisle." He grinned.

"Ok." Cass clasped her hands together as Dean shut the door behind him. "Let's get started on you." She walked over to Andie and fiddled with her hair. "No, this won't do. Go shower and get in your dress then I'll fix it."

"Oh, crap. Dean and I need to sort out a song-" Andie remembered suddenly.

"Don't worry about it." Cass told her as she pushed her towards the bathroom.

"No, but Cass-"

"I took care of it," Cass told her as she shoved a clean towel into her friend's hands.

"You what?" Andie gaped at her.

"Sam and I sorted it out; don't worry. Just shower." She pulled the bathroom door shut in Andie's face and held it closed until she heard the shower running. Then Cass let out a relieved sigh. She was going to get Andie through this wedding, help her save Dean, if it killed her.

About a half-hour later, Andie emerged from the bathroom in just her towel. Cass took hold of her almost immediately and forced her into a chair.

"What are you doing?" Andie protested.

"Just shush and let me work." Cass clicked on the hairdryer in her hands and started on Andie's hair. "You might not want to look like a lady but I'll be damned if I let you walk down that aisle looking like sea hag."

"You're too sweet." Andie smirked at her. Rather than fight, Andie gave in and just let Cass work on her hair. After almost an hour, she had to agree it did look better than what Andie had planned—a simple ponytail. Instead Cass had managed to curl Andie's hair into soft waves that flowed down her back. She gather a few strands and tie them around the back of Andie's head making her look very regal.

"Alright, dress. Go." Cass yanked Andie's wrist and pulled her to her feet.

Andie pulled on the wedding dress she'd rented from the church the day before. When she caught sight of herself in the mirror, she almost didn't recognize her own reflection. "Whoa…" She breathed.

"I know," Cass agreed. "I've outdone myself." She sighed happily. "Oh, almost forgot." She retrieved a collection of things for her bag and took them over to Andie. "I present to you, my friend, something old, something borrowed and something blue." She grinned.

Andie turned around. "What? When did you have time to…"

"While you showered. I found them all in your stuff." Cass smirked. "Something old…" She retrieved a silver bracelet with L.M. written on the heart charm. "Your mother's bracelet." Cass fastened it around Andie's wrist. "Alright, borrowed," Cass unclipped a coin-sized white badge with a red heart with an arrow through it off her jeans pocket. "Here," She pinned the badge to the shoulder strap of her dress. "It's my favourite so take care of it."

"What about something blue?" Andie asked; fidgeting on the spot.

"Easy," Cass grabbed a few strands of her blue-streaked hair and yanked. "Sonuva…!" she swore. Then she looped the hairs around the badge to keep them secure.

"I'm gonna walk down the aisle with your hair on me?" Andie questioned her with a smirk.

"And be damn grateful for the privilege." Cass added with a wink.

"What about something new?" Andie asked.

"There's a florist next door to the church, I'll go buy you a bouquet of flowers." Cass smiled. "Be right back."

"Cass, wait." Andie called after her. "I have to ask you something."

"Ok…" Cass paused by the door.

"I've been thinking...would you...um, walk me down the aisle?" Andie asked.

"Come again?" Cass raised her eyebrows.

"Well, I was gonna have Dale do it but up until a month ago I didn't really know who he was." Andie explained. "Same with Bobby. Love the guy; but hardly know him. And Sam's Dean's Best Man, he can't be on the bride _and_ groom's side. And I know you better than I know any of them."

"Wow…" Cass breathed. "Hell yeah; I'll walk you down the aisle!" she yelped. "But what if the priest kicks up a stink because I'm not a guy?"

"Well, then we'll tell him you're taking monthly hormone treatments to turn _into_ man." Andie suggested. "What's he gonna do, ask to take a look? They can't do that."

"L-O-L," Cass smirked as she backed out of the room. "I'll be back soon, alright? Please don't freak out 'til I get back."

"Promise." Andie told her as she disappeared out the door. Finally alone, Andie peered at herself in the mirror again. "Holy God," She muttered with a grin. "I'm getting married."


	57. Chapter 57: Collide

**CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN**

**Day 356**

'Collide'

Sam was fiddling with his own tie when Dean came out of the bathroom dressed in his suit. He held his arms out to his brother for approval. "Yay or nay?" Dean asked him.

"Dean; we got less than two hours," Sam reminded him. "It's yay or nothing. And you look fine."

Dean looked his brother up and down. "Girl." He muttered. Then he took a deep sigh and rearranged his collar. "I'll be honest with ya, Sammy, I never thought I'd beat you down the aisle."

"I always thought you'd have to be dragged down it kicking and screaming." Sam smirked at him.

"So…what're your thoughts on your soon-to-be sister-in-law?" Dean joked with him.

"All I'm gonna get is a more permanent version of what's going on now." Sam reminded him. "I'll deal with it."

Dean laughed. "Hey, what's up with you and that Cass chick, by the way." He asked.

"What do you mean?" Sam replied vaguely.

"Last time you saw her you made out," Dean recalled. "Fancy wedding, her best friend's getting married, she feels alone…" he raised his eyebrows. "I mean, come on, if you ever had a shot with her it's now."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Sam mumbled.

"Anytime." Sam clapped his brother on the back. "Alright," He slid on his suit jacket. "Let's do this thing." He headed for the door with Sam close behind. "Bobby and Dale are meeting us there, right?"

"Yeah, laying more groundwork in the lie so this thing looks legit." Sam told him as they headed down the stairs towards the Impala. "Crap; I forgot the rings." He remembered as Dean climbed into the driver's seat. "You go; I'll catch up." He told Dean, slamming the passenger's side door as he headed back up the stairs. When he arrived in the motel room the last thing he expected was Cass on her hands and knees with one boot on searching underneath Dean's bed. "Cass?"

She emerged looking slightly frantic. "Boot." She said. "Andie's other boot; I need them…" she ducked back under the bed.

"When did you get here?" Sam asked her. But then he noticed how frazzled she looked. "Are you alright?"

"Found it!" She shrieked as she got to her feet. She pulled the leather boot onto her foot. "So?" She put her hands on her hips and looked at Sam, showing him her outfit.

"You look…wow." Sam gaped at her. She was wearing a fitted, strapless, blood red dress that came to just above her knees.

"Just the reaction I was after." She smiled. "This wedding caper's made me so frantic I hardly know what I'm doing half the time."

"Yeah, I see that." Sam grinned.

"Ok, I gotta go." Cass checked her watch. "Told Andie I'd do her make up; God I wish we had more time…" she headed for the door.

"Cass; can I ask you something?" Sam asked her as she left.

"Make it quick." She turned back around.

"Why are you doing all this?" he asked carefully. "I mean, don't get me wrong; we're grateful, but since you got here you've been all about the wedding and it's not even yours." He smiled. "Why do you want this to happen to bad? Can't be 'cause of Dean and his deal; you hardly know him…"

Cass sighed "But I do know Andie. Look, Sam…when I met her in Daytona Beach she was a complete bitch." She admitted. "She was bitter and angry…I guess she had every right to be. I mean, losing her parents, living on the street. She had to be that way to survive, y'know? But…over the past seven years I've got to know her…she's changed…she laughs, she smiles…she cares about stuff…" Cass folded her arms. "And since she met Dean…I dunno; it's like I don't recognize her. In a good way." She looked to the floor as opposed to Sam. "And if this doesn't work and Dean dies…" Tears welled in her eyes. "I'm worried she's gonna go back to that horrible person…and that this time she won't be able to get out of it." She finished tearfully. Sam sighed and tentatively put his arms around her. Cass buried her head into his chest. "What if it doesn't' work?

"Well," Sam rested his chin on top of her head. "…only one way to find out."

**xxx**

Andie was pacing in the Bridal Room of the chapel chewing on her thumb nail. It was crunch time. She'd heard Dean and Sam arrive but had been whisked away by Cassidy before she could talk to them. She had to hand it to her friend; she'd really stepped up a notch. Andie and Dean barely had to do anything to prepare for their own wedding. And all of this within two days; it was madness.

Staring at herself in the mirror once again, Andie momentarily wondered why she didn't wear dressed more often. Then common sense prevailed, reminding her that dresses aren't exactly acceptable attire for demon fighting. And when she lived on the street; she was constantly finding her skirts being worn by homeless men – that's a big turn off right there. Behind her she heard the door open and assumed it was Cass with the new flowers she'd promised.

"Took you long enough." Andie turned around. But she didn't see Cass standing at the doorway, she saw her fiancé. "Dean."

Dean was gazing at Andie in her gown. He'd never seen her like that before, in a dress with her hair wavy and flowing down her back…she was stunning. "Wow…you look...that dress…you…" he stammered as he shut the door behind him.

"Well, I hope the ends of these sentences are good." Andie smiled.

"Oh, they're good." Dean assured her with a grin. "They're…they're good." He looked her up and down. "You look beautiful."

"Eh," She folded her arms over her chest and blushed slightly. "You have to say that."

"Maybe," Dean conceded as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "But it's still true." He put his arms around her waist and kissed her forehead.

"If Cass finds you in here she's gonna go ballistic." Andie muttered with a smile.

"I know; you shoulda heard her before." Dean chuckled. "Sammy dared go to the can and literally grabbed him by the ear and led him to his seat."

"Aw, she's too sweet." Andie smirked.

"Dean; there ya are!" Bobby called from the doorway. "You better getcha ass out here 'fore Cass sees ya."

"Yeah, be right there." Dean told him. "See you in five." Dean kissed Andie lightly on the lips before leaving her be.

Andie barely had time to breathe out before Cass was hurrying into the room looking gorgeous and frazzled at the same time. "Alright; I think I sorted everything." She said breathlessly. "All you have to do is walk down the aisle." She sighed. "I deserve a medal for all this."

Dale rapped on the open door and glanced in. "Are we ready?" he asked the girls.

"Totally." Cass called to him as she stood beside Andie and linked arms with her.

Dale directed the women out of the room towards the chapel but paused out the front of the doors and turned to them. "Ok, before we do this let's run through the rules, shall we?" He raised his eyebrows at them. "No demon talk." He pointed to Andie. "No telekinesis. No weapons. No mention of pre-marital sex. No innuendos. No swearing. No bickering. No pre-wedding drinking. No improvising. No hitting on the priest and/or telling him to keep it in his robe, am I clear?"

"Perfectly." Cass agreed.

Andie sighed. "Well, hang on…" She hiked her dress up above her knee and slid her handgun out of the garter on her thigh and handed it to Dale. "Precautionary." She shrugged when Dale gave her a questioning look.

"Honestly." Dale muttered as he pocketed the weapon. The organ started up from inside the chapel. "That's your cue; see you in there." He told the girls as he slid into the chapel leaving Cass and Andie alone.

"Last chance to back out." Cass told Andie as they stood behind the doors. "I can drive us outta here in no time?"

"Cass; I'm fine." Andie assured her. "Let's do this."

Father Joe looked oddly at Cass clinging to Andie's arm, but didn't say anything. "Ah, who gi-gives Andrea to be married today?"

"I do." Cass replied. Father Joe nodded. Cass kissed Andie's cheek. "You look awesome." She spanked her friend's ass as she walked stood opposite Sam on the bride's side of the altar.

Father Joe cleared his throat. "We are here today to join Andrea Morgan and Dean Winchester in holy matrimony." He said to the room. "Marriage, above all else, is a union of two people, two souls and two hearts. In the short time I've known them; I am confident that Dean and Andie are as committed to one another as any couple I've had the pleasure of marrying. And today, surrounded by their loved ones, they will recite their vows to one another." He turned to the groom. "Dean?"

Dean cleared his throat. "Andie… to be honest with you I never thought we'd be here. I mean, a year ago you were some crazy chick pissing me off," he chuckled. "And now…you're still crazy. And you're still pissing me off. But I don't think I could stand you any other way. You're gorgeous. You're funny. You're so wonderfully weird…" He grinned at her. "I love you, Morgan. Always have, always will."

Father Joe, who seemed more moved by Dean's speech than Andie, sniffled slightly before turning to her. "Ah, Andrea?"

Andie sighed hugely. "Ok…um...as I was walking down that aisle I was freaking out because I actually didn't know what I was going to say…until now." Andie paused, trying to keep the lump in her throat from rising. "Growing up I never had a real family like everybody else. I didn't think I needed anybody. But now, standing here, I know…I have all I'm ever gonna need. Dean, you're my family. And I love you." She grinned as tears filled her eyes. Dean reached out and squeezed her hand.

After another loud sniffle from Father Joe, he managed to compose himself and get back on track. "Do we have the rings?"

"Oh, yeah, me." Sam spluttered from behind his brother. He pulled out the two silver bands and handed them to the priest. They were identical, sterling silver with an intertwined rope engraved around each band. Sam handed them over to Father Joe who handed one each to the bride and groom.

"Andrea. Dean. You will each repeat after me then place the ring on your partner's finger." The Father explained.

Then Andie and Dean, when prompted by Father Joe, each in turn, recited the vows Andie prayed would save Dean's life.

_"With this ring,_

_ I pledge to give to you all I am and all I will be._

_In my dreams, I have always known you,_

_In my life, I will always love you._

_I offer to you all that I have and all that I am_

_From now until the end of time_

_I pledge my heart, my soul, my life to you."_

"Congratulations, Andie and Dean. It gives me great pleasure to now announce you husband and wife." He turned to Dean. "You may now kiss your bride."

"Happy to." Dean winked as she clasped Andie's neck and pulled her into a kiss.

"Hell yeah!" Cass hollered from behind Andie as she, Sam, Bobby and Dale all clapped.

Father Joe removed a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his watering eyes. "Wonderful!" He kept saying.

"Mrs. Winchester." Dean mumbled into Andie's ear as he pulled away from their kiss.

**xxx**

From the chapel, the group headed into the Party Room where Father Joe, apparently as skilled an MC as he was a priest, took charge and instructed Andie and Dean to head to the centre of the dancefloor to have their first dance as husband and wife.

"Crap." Andie muttered into Dean's shoulder as they stood together waiting for the music to start.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Cass picked the song..." She remembered. "God; I know she's gonna stitch me up; it's gonna be the Spice Girls or something." But it wasn't. Andie was more shocked than anything when she heard an old yet familiar tune crackle through the speakers.

"_Heart_?" Dean muttered, recognizing the song as he started swaying with his new bride to the music.

_"I hear the ticking of the clock,  
I'm lying here; the room's pitch dark.  
I wonder where you are tonight,  
No answer on the telephone."  
_

Dean spun Andie around slowly and pulled her in close to his chest. "You can dance?" She whispered.

"There are a lotta things you don't know about me." He replied. Then he thought a moment. "Actually; that's pretty much it..."

_"And the night goes by so very slow  
Oh, I hope that it won't end though...  
Alone."_

As the song picked up with the chorus, Dean spun Andie around quickly and the two of them began lip syncing to the words thoroughly over-embellishing and over-acting and enjoying every second of it.

_"Til now I always got by on my own,  
I never really cared until I met you.  
And now it chills me to the bone,  
How do I get you alone?"_

Cass and Sam watched Dean and Andie dancing from their table. Cass got to her feet and grabbed Sam's hands. "Come on; dance with me Samuel." She told him, moving his hands along to the beat.

Sam sighed and reluctantly got to his feet before joining his brother, who was dipping his new wife low to the ground, on the dancefloor.

With all the laughter and dancing going on inside the chapel; nobody paid attention to who was watching through the window. Ruby sighed to herself; a demon's work was never done.

**xxx**


	58. Chapter 58: The Reasons Why

**CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT**

**Day 357**

'The Reasons Why'

The rest of the evening was uneventful to say the least. Bobby got drunk and passed out on the floor. Sam and Dean had to carry him to his hotel room. While they did that, Dale said his goodbyes to Andie.

"You don't _have_ to go." Andie told him as she walked him to his car; holding her dress up off the ground so it didn't get stained.

"Andie; I've done all I came here to do." Dale told her with a warm smile. "Did I ever tell you what I was doing before I started looking for you?"

"Dale, I didn't even remember you 'til like a month ago." Andie reminded him.

Dale laughed and leant against his car. "Well, I was working in Chicago at the time but I was planning to head to Africa to do research on the supernatural benefits – if any – of Yeti blood."

"Yeti blood?" Andie repeated with raised eyebrows.

"Don't laugh." He smirked at her. "But when I found out about your mother; I went right to Australia to find you. You'd already run off from that group home…I knew I had to track you down; tell you about your family and your life…your destiny."

"Ok, no need to get all over-dramatic." Andie told him.

"Well, it's true." Dale continued. "Your Grandmother…was a wonderful woman. She died as she lived; fighting for the greater good. And I know that she needed you to know who you're meant to become, Andie." He paused. "See, you're not like you're mother…you're just like your Grandmother; you are Ellie. The way you put the horrors of your life behind you and carry on? _That's_ Ellie. Your mother…she was a wonderful woman; a beautiful soul. But after your father's death she...she broke. When Ellie lost her husband...she strengthened. She mourned, yes. For many years. But she turned her grief into power. Into courage. That's what you do, Andie." He paused again. "And whatever happens…you have to keep doing that." He reached out and hugged her.

Andie, not prepared for this show of affection, awkwardly patted him on the back. She was grateful for his words; he had an insight to her life that she herself could never really understand even though she'd lived it. She'd blocked out so many things from her childhood. Unfortunately for her; Dale had been one of them. "So…back to Chicago with you then?"

"Just to pick up my things." Dale smiled as he pulled away from her. "Then to Africa."

"I won't be able to contact you there, will I?" Andie realized.

"Probably not; no." Dale chuckled. "But I'm sure you won't need to." He added; reading the fear in her eyes. "Stay strong, Andie." He then took one, long look at her, preserving her in his mind. "Until next time." He smiled. Then he climbed into his car and drove away.

Andie watched his car drive away until it was out of sight then sighed to herself. She heard heavy footsteps behind her that weren't Dean or Cassidy. "Where's your brother?" Andie asked Sam without turning around.

"Dancing with Cass." Sam replied as he stood beside her. "So Dale's gone?"

Andie nodded. "Yep. To Africa, apparently."

"You ready to get outta here?" Sam asked her, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets.

"I guess so." Andie turned and the pair of them headed back towards the chapel. Through the window Andie could see Dean and Cassidy dancing crazily to what sounded like an Aretha Franklin hit.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Sam spoke up

"Fire away." Andie replied cuddling her arms around her shoulders as a cool breeze blew through.

"Cassidy…" Sam started. "She…say anything? About me?"

Andie sighed again; but this one was of pity for her new brother-in-law. "You want the good news or the bad news, Sam?"

Sam looked over at her. "There's bad news?"

"Look, Sam," Andie turned to him. "I think you're awesome and for what it's worth, so does Cass, but…she's just gonna do what she always does."

"Which is?" Sam pressed.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, she's probably gonna sleep with you." Andie informed him with a smirk. "But she'll be gone by the time you wake up. She won't call, she won't write, she most likely won't see you again."

Sam said nothing, he just nodded.

"It's nothing personal," Andie assured him. "She's _always_ been like this. I have a feeling she can't get out of the little 'routine' she's got. Maybe she's too scared to stay and see what happens or maybe she's just a whore. Who knows? But this has been going on for…" she thought back. "Seven years now. And as gorgeous as you are, I don't see her sticking around. Sorry." She added. "You want my advice?"

"Do I have a choice?" Sam replied knowing he was going to get it anyway.

"No." Andie admitted. "Just have fun. I've known you for almost a year now and I've never seen you with a chick. In all honestly, until Cass came along I was starting to believe what Dean was saying about you being a wee bit on the gay side."

Sam rolled his eyes to himself. "That wasn't really advice."

"Don't sass me, boy." Andie shoved him playfully as Dean and Cass came out of the chapel.

Cass made a beeline for Sam. "Sam-u-_el!_" She emphasized every syllable as she jumped onto Sam's back and wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist.

"Oof!" Sam grunted. Even though she was light she still winded Sam. But he didn't mind her climbing on him. Andie was right, it _had_ been awhile since any woman had shown him attention like this. Other than Ruby…but she didn't really count.

"Well, I dunno 'bout you," Dean said flirtatiously as he walked over to his wife. "But I think we better seal this deal."

"Interesting choice of words." Andie commented.

Ten minutes later, Andie and Dean's wedding clothes were jumbles of fabric on the floor of their motel room as they confined themselves to their bed for the rest of the night and into the next morning. Laughing, kissing, and drifting in and out of sleep between rounds. They eventually went down for the count at almost four in the morning still clinging to each other's bodies.

Sam had been sharing room with Dean and was definitely not going to disturb him at a time like this so instead he bunked with Cass; in more ways than one. She was very seductive from the moment they entered her room. She pulled Sam towards her bed and pushed him onto his back before straddling him, muttering something about living 'in the moment', yanking her dress over her head and kissing Sam passionately. They made love without a care before falling asleep almost simultaneously, Cass cradled protectively in the crook of Sam's arm.

**xxx**

When he woke up the next morning, Sam reached beside him for Cass, hoping she'd still be there. But he grabbed at nothing but cold, empty sheets. Cass had cleared out hours ago. Sam sighed and sat up. Her clothes that had been scattered on the floor with his own the night before were gone, her bag that had been hanging on the door was gone; every trace of her was gone. The phone was off the hook. Sam smiled to himself; she hadn't wanted it to wake him up. Then he realized. She hadn't wanted _him_ to wake up. She wanted to get out of their quietly. The smile disappeared off Sam's face.

**xxx**

In the motel room next to Sam and Cass, Andie was packing up hers and Dean's things while he lay sleeping on his stomach in their bed half hanging off the mattress with a blanket barely covering his naked body. Andie tucked a flyaway strand hair behind her ear and glanced at her husband. _Husband?_ The word was still foreign to her. She'd never considered marriage an option for her. That whole 'normal life' scenario didn't exactly fit when it was your destiny to fight the supernatural. Sighing, Andie grabbed her hairbrush and ran it through her hair a few times before going over to her husband.

"Hey," She prodded him in the hip with the end of her hairbrush. "Rise and shine."

Dean snorted loudly as he woke up. "Was I dreaming," He sat up. "Or did we have a crazy amount of sex last night?"

"Oh yeah." Andie nodded proudly. "We just sexed the _hell_ out of this marriage." She high-fived him. "But now we gotta get moving."

"Been married twelve hours and already my wife's tellin' me what to do." Dean grumbled as he got out of bed and yanked his boxers on. Beside him, Andie laughed. "What?" he asked.

"You said 'wife'." She giggled tossing her brush into her shoulder bag.

Dean chuckled and pulled on his jeans. "Well, Mrs. Winchester-"

"No-no." Andie stopped him. "I ain't taking your name, it's Mrs. Parker." She headed for the bathroom.

"Aw, come on!" Dean followed her as there was a knock at the door.

"I'm coming in," Sam's voice called. "You two better not be naked." He slowly opened the door and was relieved to see Dean and Andie clothed. "Thank God."

Dean noticed his brother was carrying his duffle bag on his shoulder. "You're packed already?"

"Yeah, it's almost noon, Dean." Sam told him as he pointed to the clock beside the bed.

"I let you sleep in." Andie spoke up. "Aren't I a good wife?" she smiled sweetly and handed him a white t-shirt.

"So where's your girl?" Dean asked his brother as he pulled on the shirt.

"Gone." Sam sighed.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Andie told him. "Well…no I'm not, I told you it was gonna happen. Yay me for being on the money."

"Can we go?" Sam asked them with raised eyebrows.

"Don't be bitter at us just 'cos you got used." Dean told him as he took his bag from Andie. "You had sex with a hot chick, that's better than any normal day, right?"

"Hot chick?" Andie repeated.

"Love you." Dean replied quickly.

"Let's go." Andie muttered with a smirk as she walked past them and headed outside.

After they checked out of their hotel rooms, Dean, Sam and Andie packed up the car. "Pancakes?" Dean asked the other two.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Sam nodded.

"I agree." A cold voice said from behind them all. They all turned around to see none other than demon Ruby standing with her arms folded in the centre of the parking lot. She eyed Sam. "I leave you for just a little while and you get yourself a new girlfriend? I'm crushed, Sam…" she smiled sadly at him.

"Ruby; what are you doing here?" Sam asked.

"It was a good plan," Ruby nodded towards Andie and Dean as she slowly put one foot in front of the other. "And actually might have worked…if Dean weren't _your_ brother, that is." Andie raised her hand to Ruby to use her power but Ruby raised her own hand in response. "I wouldn't, sweetness. Don't wanna get a beat down the day after your wedding, do you? Besides, I'm not here to hurt you." She lowered her hand and folded her arms.

"You never are, are ya?" Dean snapped.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked through clenched teeth. "How do you know this won't save Dean?"

"She's lying, Sam." Andie told him. "We've been through this. She'll say anything to get to you."

"Sam, you have _no_ idea how badly they hate you, do you?" Ruby moved her eyes downcast, indicating Hell.

"Why don't you give it a rest?" Dean clenched his jaw.

"Sorry to interrupt your little honeymoon here Dean, but we've got bigger demons to fry." Ruby sneered. "Lilith is gaining more and more strength and Sam needs to-"

"Sam needs _not_ to listen to you." Dean told her.

"Dean; I can talk for myself." Sam cut in haughtily.

"Look; despite what you think of me I'm not here just to crap all over your day." Ruby said bitterly. "Truth was I just caught wind of your little nuptials and didn't get here in time to stop it to tell you you're wasting your time."

"Why would you want to stop it?" Sam inquired. "You told me you knew a way to save Dean, obviously you want him to live…"

"Don't over-think things, sweetness." Ruby smiled at Sam. "I wanted to stop this because there's no point to it. Dean's going to Hell when his clock runs out. And the boys downstairs? They are just itching to see how it affects you." She turned to Andie. "You think they don't know what's going on in your head, honey? The torment? The fear? You are _terrified_ that Dean's gonna die in a week and you can't stop it. How's it feel to not get your own way for a change? "

Andie clenched her fists but didn't respond. The accuracy of Ruby's words froze her.

"Y'know what the real kicker is?" Ruby continued. "If Dean were anyone else; you're little plan here would be air tight. But he just had to be a Winchester. That trumps the whole "Holy Union" thing downstairs." She walked towards Andie. "So not only did you _waste_ two days by performing this lil' quickie ceremony?"

"But you now have less than a week to save your husband."

**xxx**


	59. Chapter 59: My Hours Are Numbered

**CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE**

**Day 364**

'My Hours Are Numbered'

Andie had once read in a book that the traditional honeymoon period for a newly married couple lasted around six months. For her and Dean, it was barely three days. They seemed to constantly be arguing about something. Dean had mentioned the fact that they may have been wasting their time getting married as par Ruby's suggestion that it wouldn't save him and Andie was furious at this, hitting back with the perhaps unreasonable response of:

"You heard what Ruby said! It _would_ have worked if _you _weren't _you_!"

To Andie, their arguing was more frustration at the uncertainty of their wedding and if it would save Dean. There was always the chance that it could work; that midnight the next night could pass by and Dean would still be breathing. But what if Ruby was right? What if Hell's desire for Dean was too strong? It was because of these two questions that Andie, Dean, Sam and Bobby were still searching for another way to save Dean. Ruby had been suggesting it and Bobby agreed that finding and killing Lilith was the only surefire way out. But that was a whole problem in itself seeing as no one knew where she was. Andie's mental locator power that allowed her to simply know where people and places where did not seem to have any use when it came to Lilith.

What she did seem to be doing was dreaming. A lot. And not wholesome, sweet dreams like a normal person. Moreso like the ones she used to have of her mother. Dark. Foreboding. Scary. It took a lot to frighten Andie; especially in her dreams. What she was subjected to night after night since her wedding was watching her husband get killed over and over again before being sucked through a black hole into Hell. Andie had never run into Hellhounds before but thanks to a book she'd borrowed of Sam's, she had a lovely mental image of two big, black dogs with large fangs glistening with a hellish glare. She could do nothing in these dreams but watch as Dean was gnawed and chewed as he screamed in agony. When the screaming stopped and the dogs disappeared, a hole would open up in the ground and swallow Dean to its fiery depths.

It was one of these dreams that awoke Andie early that morning causing her to gasp and clutch at her chest like she always had. She took a few moments to remember where she was. It was an abandoned cabin she, Sam and Dean had squatted in for the last day or so. Andie was half slumped at a desk covered in books. She rubbed her eyes and realized they were moist. Dismissing this; she wiped the spittle off her cheek and craned her aching neck. Dean was asleep in pretty much the same way she had been a seat to her right; his head resting against a book open onto a page on the Hellhounds. Andie sighed and rested her chin in her hand; watching Dean with concern. They had thirty hours left to find Lilith. A week ago, Andie would have been content; fully believing her marriage to Dean would save him. Now, after spending seven days of repeating Ruby's words (_"If Dean were anyone else; you're little plan here would be air tight. But he just had to be a Winchester. That trumps the whole "Holy Union" thing downstairs."_) in her mind; she was more uncertain than ever. Uncertain but determined. She'd made Dean a promise. She was going to save his life. She had to.

Suddenly Dean woke up with a gasp which caused Andie to jump a little. He looked so…scared. "Hey, you ok?" Andie asked him as she slid over a seat so she was closer to him. He sort of nodded and looked down at the book in front of him. The front door opened and seconds later Sam joined them.

"Did you dig up anything good?" He asked his brother.

"No," Dean closed the book and cleared his throat. "Nothing good."

"Well, Bobby has." Sam said happily. "Finally. A way to find Lilith."

"Yeah?" Dean raised his eyebrows. "Oh, with just, uh," He checked his watch. "Thirty hours to go." He paused then smiled. "Hay, why don't we just make a TJ-run, yeah? You know; some senoritas, cervezas uh- we could," He furrowed his brow. "What's Spanish for "donkey show"?"

"Demostración del burro." Andie said as she stretched and yawned simultaneously. When Dean looked at her for confirmation she just winked in response. He seemed impressed.

"So if we do save you," Sam said through a snicker. "Let's never do that." He shrugged off his jacket and went to hang it in the hall.

"Yeah..." Dean mumbled as he glanced down at the book.

"Hey, Dean," Andie sighed. "Look, we're cutting it close, I know. But we're gonna get this done. I don't care what it takes Dean." She reached out and grasped him by the back of his neck. "You're not gonna go to hell." She shook him a little. "I'm not gonna let you." He looked into her eyes. "I promise you…everything is gonna be fine."

"Yeah, ok." He finally said though with wide, confused eyes. Andie kissed his cheek and went to make them some coffee.

About an hour later, Bobby showed up and immediately got to setting up some sort of ancient tracking device. It was sort of like a pendulum but it was on three 'legs' and the metal ball in the centre went around in circled as opposed to side to side. Connected to the metal ball was another metal piece only it was sharp at the end so it could pinpoint the specific place. Bobby placed it over a map of the States

"So you need a name, that's the whole kit and caboodle." He was saying to the trio. "With the right name, right ritual, ain't nothing you can't suss out."

"Like the town Lilith's in?" Sam asked.

"Kid, when I get done, we'll know the street." Bobby said with a proud wink.

He began the ritual by swinging the pendulum and then chanted a few lines in Latin. Andie, Dean and Sam watched as the pointer swayed back and forth over the map then all of a sudden stopped, pointing out Lilith's location. Bobby inspected the map. "New Harmony, Indiana." He said. "And we have a winner."

"Alright." Sam said purposefully as he pushed the pendulum off the map. "Let's go." He and Andie shared a decisive nod.

"Wo-wo-wo-wo, hold on. Let's all shut up there, Tex." Dean said to them.

Andie shrugged. "What's the problem?"

"What's the problem?" Dean repeated. "Come on, where do I begin? I mean, first of all, we don't even know if Lilith holds my deal. We're going off of Bela's intel? Now when that bitch breathes, the air comes out crooked. Okay. Second, even if we could get to Lilith we have no way to gank her." He turned to Sam. "And third, isn't this the same Lilith that wants your giant head on a pike, should I continue?" He looked to Andie and Bobby.

"Ain't you just bringing down the room." Bobby deadpanned.

"Yeah, well it's a gift." Dean smirked.

"Dean, come on," Andie spoke up. "We're looking for a sure fire solution here."

"Well, sweetheart, a week ago the wedding was the sure fire way." Dean said back.

"Don't take that tone with me." Andie snapped. "The marriage could still work, alright? But so could this." She gestured to the map. "And if, knock-on-wood," She rapped her knuckles on the table. "The marriage doesn't work and we find out this could have saved you and we _didn't _even try it I am gonna feel like a massive idiot and you're going to come back and haunt me. And don't say you wouldn't 'cos I know you would." She pointed a threatening finer at him.

"What are we supposed to do Dean?" Sam asked.

"Just 'cause I gotta die doesn't mean you have to, okay?" Dean told all of them. "Either we go in smart or we don't go in at all."

"Ok, fine." Sam agreed. "If that's the case I have the answer. A surefire way to confirm it's Lilith and a way to get us a bona fide demon-killing Ginsu."

"Dammit Sam, no." Dean snapped angrily at his brother before turning his back to him.

"We're _so_ passed arguing." Sam said with a tired smile. "Dean, I am summoning Ruby."

"The hell you are!" Dean turned back to face him. "We have enough problems as it is."

"Exactly." Sam walked up to him. "And we've got no time and no choice either."

"Come on man, she is the Miss Universe of lying skanks, okay?" Dean scoffed. "She told you that she could save me, huh? Lie. She seems to know everything about Lilith but forgot to mention, oh right - Lilith owns my soul!"

"Okay, fine. She's a liar." Sam conceded. "She's still got that knife."

"Dean." Andie said warningly.

"Don't tell me you're into this?" Dean shook his head at her. "Do I have to remind _you_ that Ruby tried to kill you? And for all we know, she works for Lilith."

"Then give us another option, Dean." Andie flung her arms out to her sides. "I mean, tell me what else we can do."

"You know they're right, Dean." Bobby voiced.

"NO, DAMMIT!!" Dean screamed suddenly. Everyone around him stared at him; surprised by this outburst. "Just no." He said more calmly. "We are not gonna make the same mistakes all over again." He ignored their worried glances. "You guys wanna save me, find something else." He walked back to the table he'd fallen asleep on earlier and sat back down.

Bobby sighed and slid on his jacket.

"Where are you going, Bobby?" Sam asked him as he headed for the door.

"I guess to…" He threw his arms out. "Find something else."

Sam sighed and walked into the hallway. Andie followed him. "Hey," She called softly so Dean wouldn't hear. She tugged on Sam's arm to pull him back. "You wanna go summon Ruby; I'm in." She said with a wry grin. "He can bitch all he wants if he's still here in thirty hours." She nodded her head back at Dean.

Sam paused and then smiled. "Then let's do it."

**xxx**


	60. Chapter 60: Grasping At Straws

**CHAPTER SIXTY**

**Day 365**

'Grasping At Straws'

It was in the basement of an old warehouse that Andie and Sam set about summoning Ruby. Sam had drawn a triangle on the cement floor with symbols inside it's every point and candles on the outside. In the middle he drew a circle where Andie laid a bowl of dry, green powders. She lit the candles then stood back against the wall so Sam could get on with the chanting.

"Ad construgendum ad ligandum eos pariter Et solvendum." He murmured.

There was a creak to Andie's left; like someone leaning against a doorframe. She looked around but there was no one there. She realized she'd never actually been present of a Ruby summoning before; she didn't quite know what to expect.

Sam sighed and went back to chanting. "Et ad congregantum eos coram me." He took a box of matches out of his pocket and struck one. He let it burn for a few moments before tossing it into the bowl of powder. The contents ignited in a short burst of flames but died down a few seconds later before burning out. Having completed the summoning, Sam got to his feet and looked around; there was still no one there. He and Andie shared a shrug.

"You know, phones work too." Ruby's voice said from behind them. They turned to see her leaning against the doorway grinning. "Hey, Sam. How's tricks?"

Sam glared at her. "How do you get around so fast?" He asked.

"I got the Super Bowl jet pack." She smirked as she walked towards them. "So. You called?"

"Did you know?" Andie spoke up as she, too, moved closer.

"Uhm - gonna need a tiny bit more." Ruby furrowed her brow.

"About Dean's deal." Sam told her. "That Lilith holds the contract."

"Yes, I did." She replied smugly.

"And.. what?" Sam shrugged. "You didn't think that was important?"

"You weren't ready." Ruby said.

"For what?" Andie seethed.

Ruby sighed. "If I told you, you three yahoos would have just charged after her half-cocked and Lilith would have peeled the meat from your pretty, pretty faces." she winked at Andie. "Marriage agrees with you, by the way."

"Well, we're ready now." Sam said firmly. "I want your knife."

She glanced at him up and down before she began circling him slowly. "You're right about one thing. You are ready. And now's the time, too. Lilith's guard's down."

Sam didn't seem convinced. "Is that so?"

"She's on shore-leave." Ruby explained. "A little R&R."

"The hell's that mean?" Sam sneered.

"Trust me, you don't wanna know." Ruby assured him. "You didn't lose those hex bags I gave you?"

"We've got 'em." Sam said.

"Good. Then she won't sense that you're coming." Ruby seemed to be talking mostly to herself.

"So you'll give us the knife?" Sam asked hopefully.

Ruby turned to him and smiled. "No."

"But you just said-" Sam started.

"You wanna charge in with one little pigsticker?" Ruby almost scoffed. "It's a waist of a true-blue window. Like getting Hitler with that exploding briefcase. Forget it."

Now Andie was pissed. "Ok; then how?!" She snapped.

"I know how to save Dean." Ruby told her.

Andie laughed. "No you don't! You've been saying that for months but all you seem to actually tell us is that we _can't_ save him, that _nothing_ we try will work."

"Um, demon?" Ruby smirked. "I'm not here to help you." She turned to Sam. "I know how to save your brother, Sam."

"You told Dean you couldn't!" Sam snapped. "You've been lying to me all along, so just give me your damn knife!"

"Don't you get it, Sam?" She said witheringly. "You're not the one I've been lying to."

"So you've just been lying to me and Dean?" Andie said with a laugh. "Oh, that makes me feel a lot better."

"Can it; Matilda." Ruby snapped.

"Oh, so you can save Dean?" Sam raised his eyebrows.

"I can't." She admitted. "But you can." She started circling him again. "Sam, you've got some God-given talent. Well, not "God"-given but you get the jist."

Now Sam was the one to scoff. "All that psychic crap? That's gone ever since Yellow-eyes died."

Not gone," Ruby shook her head. "Dormant. And not just visions either. Why do you think Lilith is so scared of you?"

"Right... she's scared of me." Sam rolled his eyes.

"If you wanted, you could wipe her off the map without moving a muscle." Ruby said with a gleeful look in her eyes.

"I don't believe you." Sam spelled out for her.

"It's the truth." Ruby shrugged.

"And so you decided to tell us this just now?" Andie spoke up. "When we've got, like, a day to save Dean you come through with a solution?"

"Like I said, sweetheart. Demon. Manipulative's kinda in the job description." She smiled sweetly at Andie. "Fact is, is that you would have never considered it. Not until you were-"

"Desperate enough?" Sam said; realizing he was right.

Ruby shrugged at him in reply. "You don't like being different." She said to Sam. "You hate the way Dean looks at you sometimes. Like you're some kind of sideshow freak. But suck it up because we've got a lot of ground to cover, and we've gotta do it fast. But we can do it." She watched Sam as he clenched his jaw and cast his eyes downcast. "Look." She spoke to him gently. "Call me a bitch, hate me all you want, but I have _never_ lied to you Sam. Not ever. And I'm telling you. _You_... can save your brother, and I can show you how."

Andie opened her mouth for a few choice retorts but someone else beat her to it.

"So that's you, huh?" Dean spoke up behind the three of them. "Our slutty little Yoda."

"Dean." Ruby growled before turning around to face him. The softness in her voice she directed at Sam disappeared immediately. "Charming as ever."

"Aw, I knew you'd show up." Dean told her. "Because I knew these two wouldn't listen." He glared at Andie and Sam. "But you're not gonna 'teach' him anything, you understand me? Over my dead body."

"Oh. Well, you're right about that." Ruby smirked.

Dean ignored her comment. "What you are gonna do is give me that knife." He said firmly. "And then you can just go crawl back into whatever slop you came from and never bother me my brother or my wife again. Are we clear?"

Ruby rolled her eyes and chewed on her lip "Your brother is carrying a bomb inside of him and we'd be stupid not to use it." She said witheringly.

"Dean, look, just hold on for one-" Sam tried to explain.

"Sam! Don't." Dean silenced his brother angrily. "Come on man, what, are you blind? Can't you see that this is a trick?"

"That's not true." Ruby tried to assure Sam.

"She wants you to give into this whole demonic psychic whatever, okay?" Dean snapped. "I mean hell, she probably wants you to become her little anti-christ Super Star."

"I want Lilith dead." Ruby replied bitterly. "That's all."

"Why?" Dean asked with raised eyebrows.

"I've told you why!" She yelled back.

"Oh, right, yeah. Because you were human once and you liked kittens and long walks on the beach." Dean mocked her.

"You know, I am so sick of proving myself to you." She took a few steps towards Dean. "You wanna save yourself, this is how. You dumb, spineless dick!"

Dean looked at her and sneered. Then he turned to leave but instead came back swinging his right hook and slamming his first into Ruby's jaw. She stumbled back a little but then looked up at him, wiped the blood spilling from her lip, smirked and then hit Dean back with two heavy punches to the head.

"Ruby, hey!" Sam tried to stop her but she turned around and kicked him in the stomach causing him to keep over. Then she kneed him in the face which sent him straight down to the floor.

Next thing Ruby knew she was tossed off her feet and connected heavily with the wall. Andie lowered her hand and advanced on the demon but Ruby recovered quickly. She grabbed a crowbar leaning against the wall behind her and swung it at Andie who ducked and tackled Ruby to the ground. They both stumbled and Andie lost control of the fight giving Ruby enough time to climb on top of her and head butt her.

Dean grabbed Ruby by the waist and yanked her off Andie. Ruby spun out of Dean's grasp and kneed him in the stomach. Then she kicked him in the face and he stumbled down to one knee. He tried to get up but she grabbed him by the collar with one hand and punched him with her free fist. Then she tossed him onto his back. As she stared him down, Dean got shakily to his feet and grinned at her.

"What hell are you grinning at?" Ruby spat at him.

"Missing something?" Dean asked sweetly as he held her knife up and waved it in front of her.

"I'll kill you, you son of a bitch." Ruby sneered. She rushed towards him but was stopped by an invisible wall. She seemed confused and tried to move once more but she couldn't move. Glancing up she saw why. The Devil's Trap was almost smiling down at her in red paint.

Sam, who had been helping Andie to her feet, looked on surprised as Ruby realized she was stuck.

"Like I said," Dean slid her knife into his pocket. "I knew you'd come." Andie and Sam were at his side moments later and the three of them headed for the staircase. Andie slipped Dean's arm over her shoulder since he could barely work on his own two feet.

Ruby followed them with her eyes. "Wait! You're just gonna leave me here?" She snapped.

Dean and Andie each had a foot on the stairs but Sam was lagging behind. "Let's go, Sam." Dean called to his brother.

"Oh, oh you- so you're just too stupid to live, is that it?" Ruby called after them. "Then fine! You deserve hell! I wish I could be there, Dean. I wish I could smell the flesh sizzle off your bones! I WISH I COULD BE THERE TO HEAR YOU SCREAM!!"

"And I wish you'd shut your piehole, but we don't always get what we want." Dean quipped as they ascended the stair case.

**xxx**


	61. Chapter 61: Wanted: Dead Or Alive

**CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE**

**Day 365**

'Wanted: Dead or Alive'

Andie stitched Dean up as best she could when they got back to the cabin. Sam neglected her First Aid and Andie knew her own injuries would heal themselves just fine so the three of them started collecting and loading all their weapons as they prepared to head after Ruby.

Sam, who had been staring intently at a spot on the ground for the last ten minutes, finally sighed and spoke his mind. "We're just gonna let Ruby rot down there?"

"That's the idea." Dean replied without looking up from his gun.

"Dean, what if uh... What if Ruby's right?" Sam asked carefully. "What if I can take out Lilith?" He seemed perturbed when his brother gave him a doubtful look. "Quit looking at me like that." He mumbled.

"What, are you gonna give her the Carrie-stare and Lilith goes "poof"?" Dean asked with a skeptical eyebrow raise.

"I don't know what Ruby meant." Sam admitted. "You know…maybe we should just go ask her."

"Sam, you wanted the knife - I got you the knife." Dean reasoned as he went over to his bag sitting on the other table.

"Ok, Dean," Andie finally spoke up. She didn't like to get involved in their sibling squabbles. But hell; she was partly a Winchester now, wasn't she? "Just listen to me for a second, ok? Last time Lilith snapped her fingers and put thirty demons on our ass back at that jail, and all we got's one little knife? I mean, like you said, we go in smart or we don't go in at all."

"Well, this ain't smart." Dean retorted.

"We got one shot at this, Dean. Just one." She shrugged helplessly. "We've been searching for a surefire way to do this and if she has one…maybe we should just talk about it."

"We are not gonna make the same mistake all over again." Dean said to both Andie and his brother.

"Yeah you said that but what does it even mean?" Sam folded his arms.

"Don't you see a pattern here? Dad's deal, my deal," He turned to Andie. "You trying to sell your soul for me and now this?" He shook his head. "I mean every time one of us is…is up the creek the other is begging to sell their soul." He looked pitifully at Sam. "That's all this is, man. Ruby's just jerking your chain down the road. You know what it's paved with and you know where it's going." He turned his back on them and sat down at the table quickly busying himself with his weapons.

Sam followed his brother and sat down in the chair beside him. Sensing a moment approaching, Andie stayed where she was and kept fiddling with the shotgun in her hands.

"What do you think is gonna happen?" Sam asked. "This is me, I can handle it." Dean stopped what he was doing and shook his head as he looked to the floor. "And if it'll save you..."

"Why even risk it?" Dean finally said.

"Because you're my brother." Sam said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Because you did the same thing for me."

Dean scoffed. "I know... And look how that turned out." Sam looked away from him. "All I'm saying…" he began to get a little choked up. "Sammy, all I'm saying is that you're my weak spot." Sam looked over at him. "You are." Dean confirmed. "And I'm yours.

Sam looked equally as moved by this. "You don't mean that, we're…we're family."

"I know. And those evil sons of bitches know it too." Dean said. "I mean, what we'll do for each other, you know, how far we'll go? They're using it against us."

"So what? We just stop looking out for each other?" Sam furrowed his brow.

"No, we stop being martyrs, man." Dean explained. "We stop spreading it for these demons." He picked up Ruby's knife and held it between them. "We take this knife, and we go after Lilith our way. The way dad taught us to. And if we go down, then uh... then we go down swinging." He raised his eyebrows. "What do you think?"

Sam looked down at the floor, in deep thought, before answering. "I think you totally should have been jamming "Eye of the Tiger" right there."

"Oh, bite me." Dean got to his feet. "I totally rehearsed that speech, too."

"So, Indiana?" Sam spoke up. "Let's get moving." He grabbed one of their bags and headed out for the car.

"Sweet speech, Dean." Andie teased him. "Although, as your _wife_ I'd have thought _I'd_ be your weak spot but whatever; I don't even care." She stuffed the shotgun in her bag.

"What, you want me to repeat the same speech again with your name instead of Sam's?" Dean offered. "Ok," he cleared his throat. "We stop being martyrs for these-"

"Oh, shut up." Andie tossed the bag in her hands at him. "Idiot." She muttered to herself with a grin. "Indiana's what, three hours away?"

"Yeah, where Lilith's on shore-leave," Dean shook his head as he walked towards her. He paused then nudged Andie. "Tell me something." She looked up at him. "What the hell's a demon do for fun?"

Andie thought a moment. "I'm thinking monster trucks for some reason…" She replied vaguely.

Dean chuckled. "Look, Andie…" He began. "This is dangerous…you don't have to-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Andie held up her hand to silence him. "No, no. Don't give me the 'it's not your fight' speech." She shook her head at him. "Don't tell me you don't want me to come."

"Well, I don't." Dean admitted.

"Well, screw you, I'm coming anyway!" She snapped back. "I'm your damn wife, Dean. And even if I wasn't I'd still be coming because you need me."

"I don't want you to get hurt." Dean shrugged.

"Oh, please," Andie slipped her shoulder bag over her head. "I don't need that; that is a cliché."

"You're my damn wife; you just said it yourself!" Dean argued. "Now I can't be worried for your safety?"

"Not if I can't be worried about yours!" Andie hit back. "Dean, I've been fighting demons on my own for the last thirteen years. I did a damn fine job without you before and I'll bloody well be able to when…" She trailed off before she finished her sentence. She was going to say _"I'll bloody well be able to when you're gone." _Judging by his face, Andie could tell Dean knew she was preparing to say something like this.

Dean swallowed hard and shook his head. "Don't you do this." He told her.

"I just…" She looked at the floor; too scared to say it to his face. "I don't wanna lose you." She muttered. She heard him sigh and soon felt his warm, strong arms wrap around her back and pull her into a hug.

As he hugged her; Dean thought about what he should say back. The official line of 'you're not gonna lose me' was unusable since it could very easily could happen; he could be heading to Hell in a few hours time. So instead Dean just hugged her; memorizing her touch and her scent. Something told him he'd need happy memories in the hours to come.

**xxx**

When Andie and Dean finally joined Sam in the Impala; the last thing they expected was for the car not to start. Dean tried to turn over the engine a few times but got nothing but tired whirrs and coughs in return. All of a sudden, Bobby as knocking at Dean's window.

"Where do you think you're going?" He snapped holding up the distributor cap of the car; hence why it wouldn't start.

Sam and Dean hopped out of the car. Andie climbed over from the back and sat in the driver's seat. "We got the knife." Dean told Bobby.

Their old friend shook his head. "And you intend to use it without me." He surmised. "Do I look like a ditchable prom-date to you?"

"No Bobby." Sam told him. "Of course not."

Dean looked at him sympathetically. "This is about me... and Sam." His wife coughed loudly behind him making Dean roll his eyes but ultimately give in. "And Andie." He added. "Bobby, this isn't your fight."

This seemed to infuriate Bobby. "The Hell is isn't!" He hollered. "Family don't end with blood, boy." These words seemed to have a profound effect on Dean. "Besides, you need me."

"Bobby." Dean started to protest.

"You're playing wounded." Bobby cut in. "Tell me, how many hallucinations have you had so far?"

Sam and Andie shared a confused look before they both looked up at Dean who wouldn't look at them. "How'd you know?" Dean asked Bobby quietly.

"Because that's what happens when you've got hellhounds on your butt." Bobby replied matter-of-factly. "And because I'm smart." He handed Dean the distributer cap. "I'll follow." He said as he backed away to where he truck was parked behind some trees. "Don't be stopping to pee every ten minutes either." He called over his shoulder. Andie stifled a giggle as she heaved herself back into the rear of the car.

A few hours later; Andie was resting her eyes in the backseat when Sam began a conversation with his brother. She didn't want to join in so she kept playing asleep. Sam sounded as though he was preparing a goodbye speech for his brother but Dean cut him off saying if these were his last hours on earth, he didn't want to spend them socially awkward. He then clicked on the radio as Bon Jovi's song, _Wanted Dead Or Alive_, came on.

"Bon Jovi?" Andie opened her eyes and lent forwards in her seat. "Really?"

"Bon Jovi rocks," Dean countered. "On occasion."

"Surely there's something better on-" She was interrupted as Dean started singing at the top of his lungs.

"And I walk these streets! A loaded six-string on my baaa-aack. I play for keeps." He nudged his brother; urging him to sing along. "'Cause I might not make it back. Been everywhere."

"Oh yeah." Sam sung softly.

"Oh no." Andie shook her head and sank back in her seat.

"I'm standing tall!" Dean and Sam started to sing together. "I've seen a million faces and I rocked 'em all! 'Cause I'm a cowboy. On a steel horse I ride. I'm wanted."

"WANTED!" Sam sung really getting into it. "Dead or alive!"

"Dead or ali-iii-ii-ive!" Andie joined in from the back seat. "Dead or alive! Dead or alive!"

Dean began to lose the will to sing as he realized how much the lyrics fit him and the situation they were in. Sam and Andie's voices almost faded as Dean paid all of his attention to the road. A few bad Bon Jovi songs later; a police car with its sirens wailing pulled up behind the Impala

"Are we getting pulled over?" Sam asked as he checked the rearview mirror.

"I got a busted tail light." Dean realized as he glanced out his wide mirror.

"Yeah, well, it's not like we're in a hurry or nothing." Andie grumbled as she turned in her seat to see the Officer coming towards them.

Sam collected Dean's license and registration out of the glove compartment and handed them to his brother. The police officer knocked on Dean's window whilst flashing his torch into the car.

"Problem officer?" Dean asked casually.

"Licence and registration, please." The Officer said.

"Sure thing." Dean handed the documents to him.

"Do you realize you have a tail-light out, Mr. Hagard?" The Officer spoke to Dean as he checked over the papers.

For the first time, Dean looked up at him with a smile but his face fell almost immediately when he saw the Officer's _real _face. The Officer tilted his head at Dean and shined his flashlight on him. "Yes…yes sir. Uh…you know I've been meaning to," Dean put his hand on his car door handle as inconspicuously as possible. "Take care of that. As a matter of fact-" Dean opened his door fast and slammed it into the Officers stomach.

"Dean!" Sam yelled as he climbed out of the car. Andie clambered out right behind him.

Dean punched the Officer repeatedly in the face then retrieved the knife from his waistband and thrust is into the Officer's jaw. He began to flash from the inside out; almost like being electrocuted, but also flashing his demonic side before falling heavily to the ground. Dean, panting, looked up to see Andie and Sam staring at him wide eyed and open mouthed. Bobby's truck pulled up behind the Officer's car and he jogged over to them looking at the whole scenario in confusion.

"What the hell happened?" Bobby asked.

"Dean just killed a demon." Sam told him unable to take his eyes off his brother.

"Yeah; without the rest of us knowing it was a demon." Andie added. "How'd you know?" she asked Dean.

Still breathing heavily; Dean shrugged at her. "I could see its face. It's real face under that one." He said with wide, worried eyes. "I…I just knew."

**xxx**


	62. Chapter 62: Hell's Bitch

**CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO**

**Day 365**

'Hell's Bitch'

After they'd hidden the police car and the officer's body off the side of the road, Sam, Andie and Dean, with Bobby close behind, continued on towards Lilith. Bobby had told Dean that the reason he'd been able to see the demon lurking underneath the officer's human form was that he was so close to the veil of hell, or as Bobby put it 'you're almost Hell's Bitch. So you can see Hell's other bitches'. As it turned out, Dean's little newfound power came in very handy as Lilith had demons stationed all over town. Now they were able to buy themselves some much needed time.

They arrived in town and took residence across the road from a house where through the window; they saw a smiling wife serving a plate of cake to a gorgeous little blonde girl in a pretty dress.

"It's the little girl." Dean murmured to the others the second he peered at her through the binoculars. "Her face is…awful."

"Alright then let's go." Sam said as he headed to leave. "We're wasting time." He ignored his brothers yells for him to stop. "What, we're supposed to wait for her to kill all of them?"

"And us, too, if we're not careful." Dean told him. "Look," he pointed to the postal carrier sorting through the mail in the back of his truck. He was parked out the front of the house where Lilith was. "That real go-getter mailman on the clock at nine pm? Demon. And him," He pointed to another man in the house next door to Lilith. Through the window he could be seen smoking a pipe and reading a book. "Mr Rogers over there. Demon."

"Ok, so we ninja past those guys and sneak in." Sam shrugged.

"Oh, very original, Sam." Andie spoke up sarcastically. "Not that I wouldn't _love_ to see you "ninja", but they're gonna notice four people barreling in from nowhere waving pitchforks over their heads. All Lilith has to do is blink and we're dead."

"And I'm not too keen on giving a Columbian necktie to a ten year old girl." Dean added.

"Look, Dean, I know it's awful." Sam admitted. "But this isn't just about saving you, Dean. This is about saving everybody.

"She's gotta be stopped, son." Bobby agreed.

Dean cursed under his breath but didn't put up any more of a fight. Quickly the four of them devised a plan using Dean as bait to tempt the mailman and then split up. Bobby went off make the town water supply a little more 'Holy' while Sam and Andie hid behind one of the houses and waited for Dean's signal.

"You think we can do this?" Sam mumbled to Andie as they waited.

"As long as Dean doesn't trip over; yeah." Andie replied.

"No, I mean Lilith." Sam told her. "Killing Lilith…"

"Oh…well…" Andie shrugged. "What's the other option? Count down the clock to midnight? I won't do that." She didn't add that she was starting to worry. She'd promised Dean she'd save him; she'd always been able to come through on her promises. She was cutting it very fine to keep up her end of this bargain.

Suddenly Dean bolted around the corner so Sam and Andie sprung into action. Andie used her power to through the demonically black-eyed mailman up against the wall of the house so Sam had a clean shot at stabbing him in the gut with Ruby's knife. Dean covered the man's mouth to silence his screams that would alert surrounding demons. He waited until the mailman stopped struggling before lowering him to the ground and removing his gag. Sam yanked the knife out of the body and it flashed a few times, like they always did, before he wiped the blood off onto his clothing. Dean grabbed the legs of the mailman and dragged him into the bushes.

"Going well so far, isn't it?" Andie said to Sam with a smirk just before she was punched in the back of the head by someone who'd appeared behind her.

Ruby tossed Andie's unconscious body aside and glared at Sam. "I'd like my knife back please."

"Take it easy." Sam said to her.

"How the hell did you get out?" Dean asked as he came into view.

"What you don't know about me could fill a book." Ruby sneered back at him.

Then he spotted Andie. "Andie?"

"Son of a bitch…" Andie growled as she rolled onto her back. Looking up, she saw Ruby glaring at her. "Of course," She waved a hand at her and sent her flying heavily into the brick wall just as she had the mailman. "Not so tough when I can see you now are ya?"

Dean helped her up onto her feet. "You ok?" He checked the back of her head.

"Yeah." Andie mumbled, tentatively touching her injury. When she pulled back her hand it was smeared in blood. "Oh, you drew blood you whore!" Andie snapped at Ruby who was pulling herself up off the ground.

Dean suddenly did a double take as he got a good look at Ruby. "Whoa." He said with wide eyes.

"What?" Ruby snipped as she straightened her jacket.

Dean turned to Andie, not wanting to have to look at Ruby anymore. "Nothing. I just…I couldn't see you before," He glanced at her. "You're one ugly broad."

Ruby rolled her eyes and turned to Sam. "Give me the knife before you hurt yourself." She told him.

"You'll get it when this is over." Sam replied with a tiny smirk.

"It's already over." Ruby told him. "I gave you a way to save Dean, you shot me down." She said bitterly. "Now it's too late. He's dead. And I'm not gonna let you die too."

"Try and stop me, and I'll kill you." Sam said firmly. "Bitch." He added.

"Hit me with your best shot, baby." Ruby smirked.

"Uh-oh." Andie nudged Dean and turned his chin to what she could see over his shoulder. "We got an audience." There were a father and son, obviously both possessed, standing on their porch staring over at Andie, Dean, Sam and Ruby. There was also a man with a briefcase standing out the front of the other houses and he, too, was staring.

"So much for the element of surprise." Dean mumbled.

"Let's go." Sam grabbed his brother and directed him towards Lilith's house. "Go! Run!"

As the four of them bolted for Lilith's house; even more demonized people came running out of the shadows after them. Sam reached Lilith's first and started trying to pick the lock. Andie hung back in case any demons got too close. Ruby stood with her at the base of the porch stairs.

"What the hell is taking Bobby?" Dean asked as he stood behind his brother who was apparently having issues with the lock. "Come on, Sam!"

"I'm trying!" Sam snapped back.

"Jesus, Sam, move!" Andie jumped up the porch in two steps and shoved him aside before using her power to smash open the door. She went a little too far and the door hung limply off its hinges but it still got the job done. "Now that's what I'm talking about." She muttered under her breath.

Suddenly the sprinkler system came on over the lawn as the demons advanced on them. The second the water hit their skin they started screaming and writhing in agony as their skin burned thanks to Bobby's holy-water-protection-barrier-sprinkler-system idea.

"Bobby." Dean laughed appreciatively as he followed Andie into the house. He bumped right into his wife as she; Ruby and Sam were all staring down at the body of an elderly woman gathering flies and a bad smell on the floor. Squaring his jaw as he looked at the body, Dean then looked to everyone else and put his gameface on. "You think Lilith knows we're here?" he asked Ruby.

"Probably." She replied.

"Ok," Dean spoke under his breath. "Andie and I will scope things out down here, you two head upstairs." He ordered. And no one argued back with him this time.

Ruby and Sam moved silently up the staircase while Andie and Dean carefully moved into the living room. Andie was moving on towards the kitchen where she could see an elderly man slumped over a plate of food when a scuffle from behind her made her turn around. She turned in time to see Dean grabbing a middle-aged man, who had been about to attack him, and twist his arm back before covering his mouth whilst telling him to keep quiet; that they were here to help.

"Where is your daughter?" Dean asked him in a hushed whisper.

The man looked terrified. "It's not…it's not my daughter anymore." He said with frightful tears in his eyes.

"Where is she?" Andie pressed.

"Upstairs." The man said. "In her bedroom."

"Okay, okay, okay." Dean continued. "Listen to me. I want you to go downstairs to the basement. Put a line of salt at the door behind you. Do you understand me?"

The man shook his head fiercely. "Not without my wife."

"Yes, without your wife." Dean said.

"No." The man refused.

So Dean punched his lights out. "We don't have time to argue." He said to Andie.

"I'm not complaining." Andie smirked at him as he tossed the man over his shoulder. She followed Dean into the kitchen and picked up the table salt on the bench before the three of them headed downstairs to the basement.

Dean heaved the man onto the ground while Andie drew a thick salt circle around him to keep him safe. "Hopefully he doesn't wake up." She mumbled.

Dean looked at his watch. They literally were down to minutes now.

"Don't do that." Andie caught him checking the time.

"Morgan, I wanna-" He started.

"No." Andie cut him off firmly. "Tell me tomorrow." She started for the stairs back up to the first floor. "Let's go kill this bitch, shall we?" She took the stairs two at a time and heard Dean follow her.

"I know you don't want me to say this." Dean said as he tailed her.

"I'm not listening to you." Andie replied over her shoulder as she headed for the stairs to the second floor.

"If we can't do this; don't you wanna-" He was cut off as she suddenly turned around with an angry look in her eyes.

"Don't I wanna _what_, Dean?" She snapped under her breath. "Don't I wanna say goodbye? Don't I wanna cry my heart out? Don't I wanna admit my true feelings to you just before the clock runs out like some lame-ass daytime soap?"

"Can I phone a friend?" Dean deadpanned.

"I love you." Andie said with determined eyes before turning on her heel and heading up the stairs. "Are you happy now?"

Dean squared his jaw and watched her ascend the stairs. He was genuinely worried about what was going to happen to Andie without him there. He'd never tell her that; she'd take it as some arrogant jibe from him that she couldn't take care of herself. But the truth was; Dean felt like she needed someone to look out for her. And he didn't think anyone could do it like he could…maybe not even Sam. If he couldn't get out of this deal he wasn't going to be able to take care of her they way he wanted to.

And he had no idea how to tell her.

**xxx**


	63. Chapter 63: Farewell

**CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE**

**Day 365**

'Farewell'

When Dean and Andie got upstairs; they spotted Ruby standing guard outside the door to the little girls' room. She glanced at them as they neared but didn't dare speak. Dean peered into the room and saw his brother with Ruby's knife poised over the body of the young girl; preparing himself to stab her. Dean glanced at the little girl and saw nothing but her sweet face. Then he knew. Dean bolted into the room and grabbed his brother's arm just as he was about to plunge the knife into the little girl's chest.

"It's not her!" Dean yelled as the little girl woke up and screamed at the top of her lungs. "It's not in here anymore!"

"Mommy!" The frightened little girl screamed as she looked at the strangers standing over her bed.

"It's ok!" Her mother grabbed her and hugged her tightly. "It's ok, Mommy's here."

Dean calmed his brother down before they ushered the mother and daughter out of the bedroom and downstairs towards the basement. "Alright, no matter what you hear, stay down in the basement with your husband and daughter." Dean told the mother as she clutched her daughter in her arms and headed for the lower floor of the house. She thanked him and then disappeared below.

"Well, I hate to say "told you so"." Ruby said as she, Andie, Sam and Dean headed into the living room. They'd searched the house; Lilith was nowhere to be found.

"Alright Ruby, where is she?" Sam asked bitterly.

"I don't know." Ruby replied vehemently.

"Could she get past the sprinklers?" Sam continued.

"Her paygrade, she ain't sweating the holy water." Ruby replied.

"Ok, you win." Sam sighed. "What do I have to do?"

"What do you mean?" Ruby gave him a quizzical look.

"To save Dean." Sam told her as his brother came up behind him. "What do you need me to do?"

Dean grabbed his brother's shoulder. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Sam pulled free from his brother. "Shut up for a second." He turned to Ruby. "Ruby!"

"You had your chance." She told him. "You can't just flip a switch. We needed time."

"That's crap." Andie spoke up from behind Dean. "There's gotta be something."

"She's right; there's gotta be some way, whatever it is, I'll do it." Sam agreed frantically as his brother grabbed for him again. "Don't Dean! I'm not gonna let you go to hell, Dean!"

"Yes, you are!" Dean yelled back. Then he took a deep breath. "Yes, you are." He said more calmly. "I'm sorry. I mean, this is all my fault, I know that. But what you're doing, it's not gonna save me. It's only gonna kill you."

Sam looked away as tears pricked his eyes. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Keep fighting." Dean smiled sadly as tears misted his own eyes. "Take care of my wheels. Sam, remember what dad taught you... ok?" His brother nodded as he held back tears. "And remember what I taught you." Dean swallowed hard and looked over at Andie. She was biting her lip and had her arms tightly folded across her chest. He took a few steps towards her. "I'm sorry, Andie." He said honestly.

Andie shook her head slowly. "This can't…" She said unable to stop her voice shaking. "This can't be it." Dean continued walking towards her but she met him halfway and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck squeezing him hard. "I…" Her voice cracked as the enormity of what was about to happen struck her like a steam train. "I can't just let you go." She sobbed into his shoulder. "I don't know how."

Dean buried his head in her neck and kissed her soft, skin one last time as tears slipped out of his eyes and into her hair. He then had to pull away from her and physically detach her arms from around his neck. He smoothed the hair off of her face and held her head in his hands for a few seconds. "I love you, Morgan." He smirked through his tears.

Andie smiled through her cries. "Don't call me that." She said tiredly as she kissed him firmly on the mouth, drinking in her final moments with him as the grandfather clock in the corner struck midnight.

Dean pulled away from Andie but gripped her hand as he looked over at the clock. He then turned to his brother who had tears falling freely from his eyes. Dean gave him a small smile as he tried to hold back his own tears as best he could.

"I'm sorry, Dean." Ruby spoke up. "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy."

Dean's ears suddenly picked up the sound of the Hellhounds howl behind him. He face fell. "Hellhound." He muttered.

"Where?" Sam asked looking around frantically.

"There." Dean nodded towards the sound of the howl that came from the doorway to the living room.

Gripping Andie's hand, Dean bolted with Sam and Ruby into the other room where Andie used her power to close the doors as fast as she could to keep the Hellhounds out. It worked. The demonic dogs could be heard snarling and scratching at the closed doors. They wouldn't keep. Sam, Dean and Andie took out the hex bags Ruby had given them months before back at the sheriff's station and poured the dust in the doorways and windowsills.

"Give me the knife," Ruby said to Sam. "Maybe I can fight it off?" He looked skeptical. "Come on! That dust won't last forever!" Sam sighed, took out the knife and handed it over.

"Wait!" Dean screamed. "Sam, that's not Ruby. It's not Ruby!"

Sprung but no longer caring, Ruby flicked her head towards Sam and flung him up against the wall pinning him against his will. The knife dropped to the floor. Ruby then shoved her hand at Dean and tossed him on his back onto the table. Andie waved her hand at Ruby to toss her away but she barely flinched. Her head snapped back a little but that was all.

"Uh-uh, sweetheart." Ruby snarled with a smirk as she straightened her neck. She then threw both hands out towards Andie and directed them into the wall smacking Andie heavily against a mirror. She collapsed to the ground with the mirror shattering all around her.

All Dean could manage to do was hold up his head but even that was difficult. "How long you been in her?" He spat at Ruby.

"Not long." She replied, Ruby's demeanor disappearing and Lilith's taking over. She looked down at her new body. "But I like it. It's all grown up and pretty." As she looked up her eyes turned shock white.

"And where's Ruby?" Sam asked from up against the wall.

Lilith's eyes turned back to normal. "She was a very bad girl. So I sent her far, far away." She tilted her head and cracked her neck a few times.

"You know, I should have seen it before..." Dean spoke up angrily. "But you all look alike to me."

Lilith ignored him and focused on his brother. "Hello Sam." She moved towards him. "I've wanted to meet you for a very long time." She grabbed a hold of his chin and kissed him against his will; her lips sizzling as they touched his skin. "Your lips are soft." She purred.

Sam tried to pull away from her grasp. "Ok; you have me. Let my brother go.

"Silly goose." Lilith tutted him. "You wanna bargain, you have to have something that I want. You don't."

"So, is this your big plan, huh?" Dean spoke up. "Drag me to hell. Kill Sam. And then what? Become queen bitch?"

"I don't have to answer to puppy chow." She retorted.

Andie pulled herself up off the floor so she was on all fours and tried to use her power on Lilith but nothing even remotely happened. She cried out in exasperation as she tried to use it again with no result.

Lilith turned to her. "Andie, Andie, Andie," She said in a sing-song voice. "You think that little power of yours is gonna hurt me?" She shook her head then flicked one finger at Andie, knocking her back off her feet so she was slumped against the wall. "If I could kill you; you'd be dead already…as it is…" She smiled and walked towards the door that was holding back the Hellhounds. "This'll do just as well." She took a hold of the doorhandle. "Sick 'em, boy." She smirked as she yanked open the door.

"NO!" Sam hollered.

The door crashed open as the invisible dogs snatched Dean off the table and dragged him to the floor. Andie watched in horror as slashes and cuts appeared in Dean's arms and legs as he screamed in pain.

"Stop it!" Andie screamed at Lilith. She just laughed in response. Tears poured out of Andie's eyes as Dean's chest was ripped to ribbons right in front of her. Blood was gushing everywhere as Dean screamed at the top of his lungs. "Stop!" She watched as Dean stopped screaming and just fought for every breath.

"STOP IT!!" Sam screamed in heartache as he watched. "NO!"

"Yes." Ruby told him gleefully.

Suddenly Dean's body stopped being eaten. He stopped moving. He just lay there. Gone. Andie realized she could move her arms and legs again so she scrambled across the ground towards Dean. "Dean." She said earnestly as she grabbed what remained of his jacket. "Dean." She sobbed as she saw the glassy, hollow look in his eyes. "No, no, come on," She lifted him onto her lap and hugged him tightly to her body. "Come on; don't do this to me…please."

The next thing she knew she was shrouded in a blinding, white light. The force of it made her let go of Dean and she was once again tossed back off her feet and across the floor until she slid heavily into the wall. When the light dissipated Andie could see a terrified looking Lilith staring down at Sam who was huddled in a corner.

"Back." Lilith warned Sam though she looked scared as hell. Sam got to his feet and took a deep breath. "I said back!" Lilith cried.

A determined Sam bent back down, picked up Ruby's knife and walked towards her. "I don't think so." He spat hatefully. He reared back to stab her but wasn't quick enough; Lilith expunged herself from Ruby's body in one blood curdling scream that was followed by a demonically black plume of smoke. Ruby's used; dead body fell limply beside Dean as Lilith disappeared to points unknown.

With tears building up quickly in his eyes, Sam slowly walked over to his brothers' body. As he knelt down next to him, his tears broke free and poured from his eyes. "No…no…Dean…" He hugged him to his chest. "Dean."

Watching Sam mourn his brother, Andie lent her head back against the wall breathing heavily. Her tears streaked her face but no more fell from her eyes. She swallowed her sadness into the depths of her soul and pushed her back against the wall to get to her feet. Her eyes were glued to Dean's body. It was strange. Barely moments before she'd been holding him so tightly and now…all that was left was a shell. Dean wasn't in there anymore. She'd made him a promise; she'd told him she'd save his life. And up until this moment she'd wholeheartedly believed she could. But as she stared at her husband's lifeless body she saw how wrong she was.

She'd failed.

**xxx**

So there you have it! Season 3 with Andie Morgan! I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it : I loved getting your feedback and I thank you all for reading. Andie will be back in for a season four fanfic titled _We Fall Down_ so look out for it if you wanna see how Dean's death effects her ;) Thanks again guys!!

Kat  
xox


End file.
